National Park Service to Ban Lead Ammunition

[muskeg13]

I just got the following NRA-ILA Alert:
National Park Service Calls For Lead Ammo Ban:  The National Park Service (NPS) has announced its intention to ban traditional ammunition containing lead in all its parks. The move would needlessly push hunters to use more costly bullets made of tungsten, copper, and steel. The restrictions, set to take effect by the end of 2010, were announced without regard to science and without soliciting feedback from sportsmens' groups.

It's doesn't look like a hoax.  Here's the NPS link:
http://home.nps.gov/applications/release/Detail.cfm?ID=855

They have already made the decision, without any public input.  With the stroke of a bureaucrat's pen, traditional muzzleloading and hunting with a Sharps or old Winchester will soon be illegal, and for no good reason.  Here's a sample of the letters I sent my congressional delegation:

Honorable Senator Murkowski:

I just learned that the National Park Service has decided to ban the use of lead ammunition and fishing tackle in parks by the end of 2010.  This decision has occurred without any public input or any scientific evidence that lead bullets or fishing sinkers pose a significant threat to any park's environment. This is really a backdoor anti-hunting/gun control exercise.

http://home.nps.gov/applications/release/Detail.cfm?ID=855

A lead ammunition ban will necessitate the use of very expensive ammunition, if it is even widely available by 2010.  So-called non-toxic ammunition has not been developed yet for many hunting calibers, and the price may put it out of the reach of many subsistence hunters.  A lead ban will also prevent sportsmen from using many hunting weapons, such as traditional black powder muzzleloaders and antique or replica rifles that don't or shouldn't be used with jacketed bullets. 

As you may be familiar with, many of the "bear stopping" bullets used in Alaska and elsewhere are cast of hard lead alloy, and these will now be made illegal by the stroke of a pen.  With so much National Park Service land in Alaska affected, shouldn't you have a say in this matter.  The Park Service shouldn't be permitted to enforce this decision until they have given scientific proof there is a nationwide problem that mandates it and there has been adequate public input.  Is there any recourse?

Sincerely,

[45-70.gov]

did  i mention  we need to rid  ourselves of democ-rats

[GatCat]

Unless I'm mistaken, there is no hunting allowed in National Parks, nor recreational shooting. National Forests, yes. Wilderness Area's, yes.
Mark

[muskeg13]

Hunting is allowed in some parks, but not all.  In Alaska for instance, while there is no hunting in Denali National Park, hunting is allowed in Wrangell National Park and others.  Wrangell is the size of the entire state of Massachusetts.
The National Park Service also manages millions of acres of national monuments, seashores, and recreation areas where hunting is permitted.

[Cabin4]

Hunting is allowed in some parks, but not all.  In Alaska for instance, while there is no hunting in Denali National Park, hunting is allowed in Wrangell National Park and others.  Wrangell is the size of the entire state of Massachusetts.
The National Park Service also manages millions of acres of national monuments, seashores, and recreation areas where hunting is permitted.

They have already done that in Kalifornia. As they say, so goes Kalifornia, so goes the nation.

You people are in trouble.

[DalesCarpentry]

Does that mean state game lands here in Pa? If so I really can't see how that would hold up here!!!!!!!!! Dale

[bilmac]

Muskeg  I will write an E-mail to the three Wyoming congress people today they are good people. I am getting tired of seeing tree huggers controlling Alaska from New York and California, and the rest of the country taking no notice.

[Questor]

Every national park I've been to lately has prohibited guns. What is the real issue here?

[skifastchad]

Every national park I've been to lately has prohibited guns. What is the real issue here?

Read the article in the link.  One of the situations has to do with park rangers dispatching wounded animals.  They don't want scavengers to then eat lead fragments in the dead animal. 

I feel sorry for the first ranger who has to dispatch a wounded grizzly bear with a steel bullet. 

[bilmac]

When they divided up the public lands in Alaska in the 70s, all federal lands National Wildlife Refuges at least, and I think Parks too had language in the legislation that created them that said that subsistence hunting and fishing would be allowed. Sounds to me that they are ignoring the legislation that created them.

Muskeg   I think that you can find out what the enabling legislation that created these parks says by inquiring at the Bureau of Land Management offices in Anchorage. I would bet that you will find some guys there who are just as disgruntled as you are.

Another potential problem for NPS is that I doubt that they did any Environmental Impact Statement which is required for all major federal actions. What kind of evidence is there that banning lead is necessary?

 It's time to start pushing back. This is another betrayal by the Federal Government. Promising one thing and then forgetting all about the promises when it is convenient. We in Wyoming have experienced the same thing with the reintroduction of wolves.

 I have already written to one of my congressmen and will soon write the other two. It would help if other western congress people got some angry letters too. If one of the Alaskan guys could find out what the enabling legislation of the Parks says  we could be more specific when we complain to congress people. Dispatching wounded animals is just a BS smokescreen.

[FWiedner]

You make the mistake of thinking that the laws that are inflicted on the little people also apply to agents of the state...

 

[Cabin4]

Every national park I've been to lately has prohibited guns. What is the real issue here?

Your thinking of the out of hunting season carry law in national parks. If a national park allows hunting, then you can carry a legal weapon during the season.

[muskeg13]

The lead ban wouldn't just affect National Parks, Monuments, Refuges, Preserves and Recreation Areas in Alaska.  The National Park Service Ban will affect hunting and fishing NATIONWIDE. 

Every hunter and angler should be contacting their Congressman and Senators to get this bad plan killed, or there will be no more moderately priced hunting ammo allowed, no more split shot, lead jigs and sinkers, etc...

This ban will kill traditional muzzleloading on NPS managed lands.

[bilmac]

No no, NPS can only make regulations that affects it's own jurisdiction. The number of Parks that actually allow hunting are pretty few, mostly those parks created in Alaska under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act or some such name. Denali isn't part of this group because it was established before this act. I am not sure how many National Parks there are in Alaska that will be affected other than Wrangell St Elias, but things are BIG up there and Wrangell St Elias is bigger than a lot of States.

This could affect you if you ever plan on hunting or fishing in Alaska.