NSSF to Intervene in Latest Lawsuit Against Traditional Ammunition

NEWTOWN, Conn. — The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry, will file to intervene in the frivolous lawsuit brought today by the Center for Biological Diversity and six other groups to pressure the Environmental Protection Agency to ban traditional ammunition containing lead components.

The EPA already has twice denied petitions filed by CBD to ban traditional ammunition, noting correctly that it does not have the authority to regulate traditional ammunition under the Toxic Substances Control Act.

“This is a frivolous lawsuit clear and simple,” said Lawrence G. Keane, senior vice president and general counsel for NSSF. “There is no sound science that shows the use of traditional ammunition has harmed wildlife populations or that it presents a health risk to humans who consume game taken with such ammunition.”

Today Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus co-chairmen Senators Jon Tester (D-MT) and John Thune (R-SD) filed an amendment to the Farm Bill that contains a number of sportsmen’s priorities including legislation that has already been passed by the House of Representatives to exempt traditional ammunition from being regulated by EPA under the Toxic Substances Control Act. Exempting traditional ammunition from EPA jurisdiction is supported by 35 national conservation and sportsmen’s groups and also the Fraternal Order of Police because a ban on traditional ammunition would apply to law enforcement and the U.S. military.

According to CBD, others joining its lawsuit were the Cascades Raptor Center of Oregon, the Loon Lake Loon Association of Washington, Preserve Our Wildlife of Florida, Tennessee Ornithological Society, Trumpeter Swan Society and Western Nebraska Resources Council.

Learn more about traditional ammunition.

About NSSF
The National Shooting Sports Foundation is the trade association for the firearms industry. Its mission is to promote, protect and preserve hunting and the shooting sports. Formed in 1961, NSSF has a membership of more than 7,000 manufacturers, distributors, firearms retailers, shooting ranges, sportsmen’s organizations and publishers. For more information, log on to www.nssf.org.