Image: maryland_lead_ban

Hunters in Maryland may soon be required to use lead-free ammo for all types of hunting. (Photo by Christopher MacDonald, Jim Cumming and Tony Quinn)

A bill that would phase out the use of lead-based ammunition for hunting statewide by 2029 is currently before the Maryland House of Delegates.

Shore News Network reports that the Hunting – Lead and Lead-Based Ammunition – Phase-Out legislation, sponsored by Delegates Michelle Guyton and Nick Allen, went before the House Environment and Transportation Committee for a hearing on March 4.

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If the bill passes, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) would establish a three-year phase-out, beginning with regulations for pen-raised birds on regulated shooting areas by July 1, 2027. The requirement would expand to include upland and migratory game birds and wild turkey by 2028.

Hunters would eventually be required to use nonlead ammo for all forms of hunting, including deer and other game species, by July 1, 2029. The DNR could choose to allow continued use of lead ammunition if nonlead options are not commercially available for a particular firearm type.

According to the bill’s preamble, more than 500 studies have linked lead exposure to neurological and developmental harm in humans. Eagles and scavenger species have been poisoned by consuming lead fragments left in carcasses. Similar international efforts are underway, including bans or phase-outs in the United Kingdom and European Union.

The Congressional Sports Foundation (CSF) is speaking out against the ban citing the lack of affordable non-lead ammo. CSF’s Kaleigh Leager testified during the bill hearing in February saying the long-term effects of a statutory ban on lead hunting ammo will likely negatively impact conservation funding, which is directly funded and supported by sportsmen and women. CSF instead suggests implementing a voluntary, and incentive-based program, managed by the DNR, similar to those successfully run by other states to encourage hunters to switch to lead alternatives, which would allow them to meet their management objectives without compromising their funding stream.

If passed, the law would go into effect on July 1, 2026, with three years for state regulators and hunters to prepare for full implementation.