A federal court on Friday rejected a long-fought effort by environmental groups to force a ban on lead ammo in a national forest, providing a key win for hunters, the National Rifle Association, and the United States Forest Service.
In a 25-page decision, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a bid by the Arizona-based Center for Biological Diversity to order the Forest Service to ban the use of lead ammo in the Kaibab National Forest, which adjoins the Grand Canyon and is a popular big game hunting destination.
In the courts for 11 years, the group was pushing to force a ban on lead bullets used by hunters and sometimes ingested by condors and other birds when feasting on guts left behind when game is field dressed.
The case was also seen as a test of efforts by anti-hunting groups to regulate ammunition, an angle that drew in the NRA, which praised the unanimous decision in a statement provided to Secrets.