Gun Rights Advocates Say Proposed Lead Ammo Ban Part of Larger Anti-Hunting Agenda

Gun and hunting rights advocates believe gun control agenda is behind proposed ban on lead ammunition on National Wildlife Refuges.

Young anglers fish at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Maryland, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service federal land. It's on the list of National Wildlife Refuges on which lead shot and fishing tackle would be banned if a proposed rule is adopted in September 2026. Tim Parker/usfws, Public Domain

The goal of a proposed federal rule to ban lead ammunition from national wildlife refuges has nothing to do with protecting wildlife, Second Amendment advocates say.

“This is a way to price outdoorsmen and women off public lands,” Mark Oliva, managing director for public affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), a trade association for the firearms industry, told The Epoch Times.