Tyler TX — Last week the senate postponed voting on the Sportsmen's Act until today. This bill ensures that lead can continue to be used in ammunition. Supporters are encouraging hunters, gun owners, and sportsmen to call U.S. Senators to urge them to pass this bill, but some environmental organizations say the lead, "poisons the wildlife."

According to the The National Shooting Sports Foundation website, the anti-hunting groups led by the Center for Biological Diversity are suing the Environmental Protection Agency, to force a ban on traditional ammunition made with lead components.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, or NSSF, states that passing this bill will, "Promote, protect, and preserve our nation's hunting, shooting, and conservation heritage for generations to come." Mack Woods, owner of The Shootist Gun & Knife Shop in Tyler, says, "Its just a bill that's before the senate that's trying to keep the government from further regulating ammunition right now." Woods says there are people opposed to this bill, for reasons other than sporting purposes. "They're not having much luck so far controlling guns, so the next obvious solution is controlling ammunition," Woods said.

So, what would happen if ammunition was no longer made with lead components? The NSSF states, "That would devastate hunting and shooting sports participation, drive up ammunition prices by almost 200 percent on average and dry up conservation funding."

Woods gave KETK an analogy for what he says, is a little amount of lead in the wildlife caused by sportsmen. "The amount of lead sportsmen put into the soil or the waterways is miniscule an analogy would be if you were fearful if you walked across Texas stadium and you caught a whiff of cigarette smoke, that you're going to get cancer from it," said Woods.

KETK also spoke with Steve Hall the Executive Director of the Texas State Rifle Association. He said, "Don't know any hunter that had elevated lead levels, because of consuming harvested game yah know from fragmented lead or anything like that." Hall says he believes people who buy traditional ammo have helped the wildlife, rather than hurt it. "The thing with that excised tax has really increased habitat not only protection but obviously enhanced recreational, hunting, fishing, and shooting on things like federal land," said Hall.

Woods says he believes this bill will pass and ammunition prices will, "maintain the status quo."