HR0398 LRB101 12407 ALS 60481 r
1		HOUSE RESOLUTION
2		WHEREAS, Lead is a potent neurotoxicant that is unsafe for
3		humans, wildlife, and the environment; lead ammunition
4		needlessly exposes humans and other animals to this
5		life-threatening poison; the Centers for Disease Control
6		states that there is no safe level of lead exposure; lead has
7		been removed from various paints, gasolines, pipes, and many
8		other items to protect human health and the environment; and
9		WHEREAS, Lead ammunition is a threat to wildlife; more than
10		130 species, including humans, have been exposed to or killed
11		by ingesting lead shot, bullet fragments, or prey contaminated
12		with spent lead ammunition; animals can fall victim to spent
13		lead ammunition through two avenues; primary poisoning occurs
14		when an animal ingests spent ammunition directly from the
15		environment, usually when foraging for food on the ground;
16		secondary poisoning occurs when an animal consumes wounded or
17		dead prey or scavenges gutpiles contaminated with lead
18		ammunition left behind by hunters; and
19		WHEREAS, Lead ammunition is toxic; a single ingested
20		shotgun pellet or bullet fragment is sufficient to cause brain
21		damage in birds, resulting in inhibition of critical
22		neuromuscular, auditory, and visual responses; lead poisoning
23		can induce lethargy, blindness, paralysis of lungs and the

HR0398 - 2 - LRB101 12407 ALS 60481 r
1		intestinal tract, various organ failure, seizure, and death in
2		wild animals; and
3		WHEREAS, The effects of spent lead ammunition are evident
4		in dove hunting; since doves are small and have an erratic
5		flight path, it often takes an average of five to eight shots
6		to hit the animal; according to the United States Fish and
7		Wildlife Service, an estimated 15-20 million mourning doves are
8		harvested annually; if every hunter is shooting with lead, this
9		would equate to roughly 5.2-7 million pounds of lead dispersed
10		into the environment every year; and
11		WHEREAS, Lead ammunition is a threat to human health; lead
12		is a potent neurotoxin, for which no safe level of exposure has
13		been identified; individuals who consume meat from animals
14		killed with lead ammunition are at risk for lead exposure;
15		several studies using x-ray imaging have shown that lead
16		ammunition is highly fragmentable and nearly impossible to
17		completely remove from meat; and
18		WHEREAS, Effective alternatives to lead ammunition are
19		widely available and effective; for shot, the United States
20		Fish and Wildlife Service has approved a dozen nontoxic shot
21		types; steel, copper, and bismuth are among the most common
22		non-lead materials and are readily available at major
23		outfitters; and

HR0398 - 3 - LRB101 12407 ALS 60481 r
1		WHEREAS, Ammunition regulations are effective; the
2		mandated use of non-toxic ammunition has proven to be an
3		extremely effective management approach to lead poisoning; in
4		1991, United States Fish and Wildlife Service required the use
5		of non-lead shot for the hunting of waterfowl nationwide;
6		within just six years, researchers found significant
7		improvements in the blood and bone lead levels in a variety of
8		waterfowl species; and
9		WHEREAS, Restrictions on ammunition are commonplace; 34
10		states have increased restrictions on lead ammunition beyond
11		the 1991 federal waterfowl regulation; as a result of its
12		success, the National Park Service announced in 2009 that they
13		would begin eliminating the use of lead ammunition; the United
14		States Army has invested resources and intelligence toward
15		creating and switching to non-toxic ammunition, citing
16		environmental and animal welfare concerns; and
17		WHEREAS, Scientists resoundingly agree that spent lead
18		ammunition poses a significant risk to human health and
19		wildlife; toxicologists, veterinarians, pathologists,
20		physicians, epidemiologists, biologists, and other experts
21		have advised against the use of lead in ammunition due to its
22		toxic effects; switching to non-lead ammunition is an easy way
23		to protect wildlife and people from the dangers of spent lead

HR0398 - 4 - LRB101 12407 ALS 60481 r
1		ammunition; therefore, be it
2		RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
3		HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
4		we urge the General Assembly to support all efforts to restrict
5		the use of lead shotshells to take wildlife.