HR0398 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0398 LRB101 12407 ALS 60481 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Lead is a potent neurotoxicant that is unsafe for humans, wildlife, and the environment; lead ammunition needlessly exposes humans and other animals to this life-threatening poison; the Centers for Disease Control states that there is no safe level of lead exposure; lead has been removed from various paints, gasolines, pipes, and many other items to protect human health and the environment; and

WHEREAS, Lead ammunition is a threat to wildlife; more than 130 species, including humans, have been exposed to or killed by ingesting lead shot, bullet fragments, or prey contaminated with spent lead ammunition; animals can fall victim to spent lead ammunition through two avenues; primary poisoning occurs when an animal ingests spent ammunition directly from the environment, usually when foraging for food on the ground; secondary poisoning occurs when an animal consumes wounded or dead prey or scavenges gutpiles contaminated with lead ammunition left behind by hunters; and

WHEREAS, Lead ammunition is toxic; a single ingested shotgun pellet or bullet fragment is sufficient to cause brain damage in birds, resulting in inhibition of critical neuromuscular, auditory, and visual responses; lead poisoning can induce lethargy, blindness, paralysis of lungs and the intestinal tract, various organ failure, seizure, and death in wild animals; and

WHEREAS, The effects of spent lead ammunition are evident in dove hunting; since doves are small and have an erratic flight path, it often takes an average of five to eight shots to hit the animal; according to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, an estimated 15-20 million mourning doves are harvested annually; if every hunter is shooting with lead, this would equate to roughly 5.2-7 million pounds of lead dispersed into the environment every year; and

WHEREAS, Lead ammunition is a threat to human health; lead is a potent neurotoxin, for which no safe level of exposure has been identified; individuals who consume meat from animals killed with lead ammunition are at risk for lead exposure; several studies using x-ray imaging have shown that lead ammunition is highly fragmentable and nearly impossible to completely remove from meat; and

WHEREAS, Effective alternatives to lead ammunition are widely available and effective; for shot, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has approved a dozen nontoxic shot types; steel, copper, and bismuth are among the most common non-lead materials and are readily available at major outfitters; and

WHEREAS, Ammunition regulations are effective; the mandated use of non-toxic ammunition has proven to be an extremely effective management approach to lead poisoning; in 1991, United States Fish and Wildlife Service required the use of non-lead shot for the hunting of waterfowl nationwide; within just six years, researchers found significant improvements in the blood and bone lead levels in a variety of waterfowl species; and

WHEREAS, Restrictions on ammunition are commonplace; 34 states have increased restrictions on lead ammunition beyond the 1991 federal waterfowl regulation; as a result of its success, the National Park Service announced in 2009 that they would begin eliminating the use of lead ammunition; the United States Army has invested resources and intelligence toward creating and switching to non-toxic ammunition, citing environmental and animal welfare concerns; and

WHEREAS, Scientists resoundingly agree that spent lead ammunition poses a significant risk to human health and wildlife; toxicologists, veterinarians, pathologists, physicians, epidemiologists, biologists, and other experts have advised against the use of lead in ammunition due to its toxic effects; switching to non-lead ammunition is an easy way to protect wildlife and people from the dangers of spent lead ammunition; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the General Assembly to support all efforts to restrict the use of lead shotshells to take wildlife.