The topic of lead ammunition use for hunting and target shooting has been debated for decades. Staff from Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation have been monitoring research, and providing input on the topic of lead ammunition since 2009.
Ammunition Bullet Points:
- Traditional lead ammunition in firearms has been used for hunting for more than 700 years.
- Approximately 95% of all current ammunition has lead components.
- There are many alternative ammunition options available to hunters, with copper bullets, and steel shot being among the most popular. Ammunition manufacturers introduce new alternative ammunition products to meet consumer demand.
- The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) instituted a nationwide ban on the use of lead ammunition for waterfowl hunting in 1991. (Watch the webinar below to learn more)
- The state of California banned the use of lead ammunition for all types of hunting in 2019.
- In February 2025, the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) posted a resolution pertaining to Best Management Practices (BMPs) on this topic.
- Fish and wildlife agencies provide information to hunters so they can decide for themselves which ammunition to choose for their hunting needs.
- Through the Pittman-Robertson Act, approximately $900 million in excise taxes on traditional and alternative ammunition and firearms is distributed to state fish and wildlife agencies each year. These funds are utilized by wildlife agencies to improve habit and manage wildlife species for healthy populations.
- Approximately 15 million hunters purchase $1 Billion worth of hunting licenses each year. These funds, coupled with excise taxes on firearms and ammunition, make up the bulk of state fish and wildlife agency budgets.
- State fish and wildlife agency staff include hundreds of trained biologists that use science and research to manage species. They manage each species by the health of the overall population size and not by one individual animal.
- Groups opposed to hunters and hunting try to circumvent the work being done by state agency wildlife biologists through petitions, lawsuits and legislation that bans traditional lead ammunition for hunting.
- Unintentional ingestion of lead ammunition has been identified as a cause of sickness or death in some individual wildlife animals.
- Vehicle (car, logging truck, boat, airplane…) collisions have been identified as a cause of harm and death among some individual wildlife animals.
- Wind turbines (wind farms) have been identified as a cause of harm and death among some individual wildlife animals.
- House and feral cats have been identified as a cause of harm and death among some individual wildlife animals.
Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation (OSCF) created this webpage as a resource to learn more about the topic of lead ammunition usage.
View this Webinar for an overview of this topic. (click image below)
View this White Paper for a comparison of traditional and alternative ammunition pricing and availability.
