In April, a federal judge sided with NRA-ILA and Safari Club International and held that hunters’ use of traditional ammo does not violate federal environmental law. Late last month, this decision was appealed to the Ninth Circuit.
This case has been ongoing since 2012, when a group sued the U.S. Forest Service alleging that hunters’ use of traditional ammo in the Kaibab National Forest violated the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. In the most recent district court decision, the judge held that the Forest Service is not disposing any waste by allowing hunters to hunt in accordance with state laws. This decision was important because a contrary ruling would allow the federal government the authority to regulate aspects of hunting that have traditionally been controlled by the states. This could affect hunters everywhere who use the 640-million acres (about twenty-eight percent of the country) that is owned by the federal government.
This will be the third time that this case has reached the Ninth Circuit. NRA-ILA and its allies have been involved in this case since the beginning and will continue to advocate for its members. The appeal is in the early stages and will take several months to be fully briefed. It will likely take over a year for the Ninth Circuit to issue an opinion.
NRA-ILA will continue to protect the rights of hunters everywhere to use commonly owned and affordable ammunition to hunt and enjoy public lands.
The case is called Center for Biological Diversity v. United States Forest Service. The National Shooting Sports Foundation also intervened as a defendant in the case.
Please stay tuned to www.nraila.org for future updates on this and all of ILA’s efforts to defend your constitutional rights.