As I see it, the re write of the HSE lead recommendation is basically a white wash by those who are against all forms of shooting and hell bent on pushing an agenda.
It is full of contradictions and what I view as inaccuracies. They have referred to firearms legislation, but not to the Deer Act ( England and Wales) and have made wide ranging accusations against the shooting community which basically suggests we can not be trusted ( references to non expanding ammunition being used for deer / quarry).
They claim that these recommendations are to protect health and the environment, but contradict themselves.
According to the recommendations, it is ok to use lead ammunition of <6.17mm for live quarry, so am I to assume that, under these recommendations, the lead in these projectiles is less harmful than larger calibres??
As I read it, I’m OK to shoot CWD / Muntjac / Rabbits / Hare with lead projectiles in my .22 centrefire or .22 rimfire and put them into the food chain and to leave carcasses of fox / crow etc for “natural recycling” without having to worry about pubic health / environmental risk, BUT not with anything larger than 6.17mm ??? I would argue that the most prolific calibre used in the UK for vermin / pest control is probably the good old .22RF, with a lead bullet, but according to these recommendations, that’s ok!!
Then there’s “Humane Dispatch”, no derogation for this, so no matter what type of firearm you use, it will have to be non lead. So anyone using free bullet / shot for this, such as race course vets, knackermen, hunt staff, HAD operatives etc will all have to change. Personally Im not over enthusiastic of the increased risk of pass through or ricochet, especially in confined areas.
They also recognise that there are firearms that may need to be altered or replaced in order to be able to use non lead projectiles. Will there be any compensation for this, as was done when the law was changed regarding “ small firearms” ( handguns) or semi - auto centrefire rifles and were generally prohibited ???
I would like to think that reasoned debate and challenge using scientific evidence, will prevail within parliament, but I’m not going to hold my breath with the present government, as it helps fulfill some of their aims and will most likely pass through parliament due to having a large majority within parliament.