Maryland Lawmakers Considering Ban On Lead Hunting Ammo

Zac K. 03.18.25

If you’re a Maryland resident, or if you hunt there as a non-resident, then pay attention: Two laws in front of the state’s politicos may result in a ban on hunting with lead ammunition in the next few years.

The proposed ban was shoehorned into this session’s Maryland House Bill 741 and Senate Bill 634. Those bills also contain wording aimed at ending fox chasing, which is certainly of interest to some hunters in Maryland. However, the ban on lead hunting ammunition is of concern to a much wider range of hunters, as it is intended as a blanket ban that applies to deer hunters, dove hunters.

As per the wording in Senate Bill 634, they are looking to bring this to pass in the next five years, or sooner, through action from the Department of Natural Resources: “On or before July 1, 2029, the Department shall require the use of nonlead ammunition for the hunting of all game species.”

Your days of using heavy-hitting classic Power Points will be done, at least in Maryland, if these bills pass. [Winchester]

Currently, California is the only state that has an across-the-board ban on lead hunting ammunition. That law came to pass in 2019. Other states, including Minnesota, New York, Maine, Washington, and Oregon have considered their own lead ammo bans for hunters over the past few years, but none have come into law. At the federal level, non-toxic ammunition has been required for waterfowl hunting since 1991.

Sportsmen’s associations in Maryland are up in arms over the new proposed ban on lead ammunition, rightly pointing out that options are limited for non-toxic ammunition. While bird hunters could quickly switch to waterfowl loads, lead-free bullets are uncommon for .22LR and basically impossible to find for other rimfire rifles. Some popular centerfire cartridges come with non-toxic bullet choices, but not all. Lead-free ammunition can be more expensive, and if demand grows, there is no guarantee the manufacturers will ramp up production to keep up.

You can find non-toxic rimfire loads, but they’re hard to find. [CCI]

At time of writing, the bills are in committee, having gone through first reading but not passed reading. If you oppose these bills, use the NRA’s website to contact your lawmakers, and stop these changes before it’s too late.

Zac K.

Zac K. hunts and fishes to feed his family in the northeast. His work has been in Outdoor Canada and other adventure and outdoors publications.