HB 2503 Places authority for ammunition and fishing gear with legislature

02/19/2015
HB 2503
VOTE:YES
Died in Committee

House Committee On Agriculture and Natural Resources

HB 2503 Vests sole authority to regulate hunting ammunition and fishing gear with Legislative Assembly with specified exceptions. Prohibits public bodies from regulating hunting ammunition, fishing gear and angling equipment unless authorized by statute.

This bill places the control of maintaining the lead content in hunting ammunition and personal angling equipment with the Legislative body. This is in contrast to allowing a single entity, like the counties, cities, governor or one of the administrative branch agencies, the control of lead in our ammunition. This is a preemptive issue to keep the peoples’ elected representatives in control and to keep transparency in decisions regarding our Second Amendment Rights. Certain counties in California and the Vermillion Cliffs area of Arizona have had a ban placed on lead hunting ammunition due to the introduction of the California Condor, a carrion bird, that is on the Endangered Species list. Testimony was taken last year regarding the Yurok Indian tribe’s efforts to introduce the Californis Condor into northern California and the point was made that its flight range may extend into Klamath, Jackson, Josephine, and Curry Counties in Oregon. An effort may be made to ban lead hunting ammunition in parts of Oregon in an effort to keep the bird from ingesting the rare gutpile (which may contain some lead) of hunted animals.

It is the intent of the bill that we do not need a ban on already purchased ammunition, nor to restrict hunting to only those individuals who can afford alternative bullets (copper or stainless steel), even if they could find those types of ammunition.

This bill was written by the Oregon Hunting Association to make sure that the public have a say in any regulation on a state basis.