Why It Matters: Any ban on the use of lead ammunition will likely have a negative impact on conservation funding through a potential decrease in hunting license sales through the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Maryland House Bill 1067 (HB 1067) and Senate Bill 181 (SB 181) originally sought to ultimately ban the use of lead ammunition for all game species throughout the state by 2029 through a phase-out process enforced by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Highlights:
- HB 1067 and SB 181 originally sought to implement a sweeping hunting lead ammunition ban in Maryland by 2029 without any state or species-specific data showing it was biologically necessary for Maryland hunters to abandon the use of lead ammunition for hunting.
- The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) testified in opposition during both bill hearings for HB 1067 and SB 181.
- When it became apparent that the bill was likely going to pass, Senator Jack Bailey, Secretary of the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses (NASC) and Co-Chair of the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, fought on the Senate Floor to amend the legislation to only prohibit venison donation if harvested with lead ammunition, which was adopted by the Senate.
- Ultimately, the House bill sponsor rejected the Senate’s amendment, and the bill failed to pass before Sine Die (April 13, 2026).
For the first time in its history, the attempt to ban lead hunting ammunition in Maryland made it farther than ever through the legislative process, making it extremely likely to pass. In previous years, the sponsor(s) and proponent(s) of this legislation cited great concern for wildlife and scavenger health as the main driving factor behind this overstepping and unfounded attempt at a sweeping hunting lead ammunition ban. However, during this legislative session, it was apparent that there was a shift from previous years as the new focus was on human health. The new (but still false) main argument of the proponents was that hunters are donating venison that is littered with extremely toxic lead particles that are being consumed by beneficiaries of food banks.
As the legislation gained traction and moved out of the House Committee and House Floor for the first time in its history, Sen. Bailey introduced an amendment on the Senate Floor, addressing the testimony of the proponents. The amendment struck most of the language in the legislation and replaced it with only prohibiting venison donations if harvested with lead ammunition starting on July 1, 2027. Sen. Bailey’s amendment was adopted by the Senate and was sent back over to its originating chamber for concurrence. The House then refused to concur, thus sending the legislation to Conference Committee, where the clock ran out and no action was taken prior to the session adjourning, thus killing the legislation for this year.
The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation continues to encourage the legislature and DNR to work together to implement incentive-based programs for the use of non-lead hunting ammunition by hunters if there exists demonstrable scientific evidence that such an effort is needed to address population-level impacts of lead exposure in specific wildlife species. CSF further recommends that such a program be developed and tested prior to any further consideration of a statutory ban on lead ammunition with its unintended and consequential diminishment of conservation funding.
CSF applauds Sen. Bailey for his hard work on this issue and his artful maneuvering that ultimately secured a strong victory for Maryland’s sportsmen and women. CSF will continue to work with the Maryland Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus on this issue in preparation for its likely return during the 2027 Legislative Session.
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