UK to Ban Lead Ammo Starting in 2026

The United Kingdom doesn’t have a gun culture at all like what we have, which is a shame. It’s part of why they’ve lost so many of their gun rights over the years and stand to lose more and more.

Sure, guns will always be available to certain parties, but they’ll be out of reach for most and even those certain parties will have draconian regulations they have to comply with.

But because some people will still have guns, there are going to be another type of regulation out there, and the UK is cranking just such a regulation out for 2026, which will ban lead ammunition.

The UK government has just announced a new sweeping ban on lead ammunition across England, Scotland, and Wales, with legislation set for summer 2026 and a full ban by summer 2029, following a three-year transition.

Environment Minister Emma Hardy frames this as crucial for “iconic British wildlife” and “clean waterways,” claiming it prevents 7,000 tonnes of toxic lead from entering the environment annually and saves countless birds. This is undoubtedly not great news, particularly for clay and practical shotgun shooters, revealing a rhetorical strategy to bypass rational debate that rages on in the UK despite their existing prohibitive gun laws.

But we don’t have to pretend we don’t have the same thing going on over here – do you guys remember this from March?

Maryland’s Lead Ammo Ban: A Sneaky Jab at Every Gun Owner

True enough.

And let’s understand that these bans aren’t touted as gun control. They’re environmental measures, or so we’re told.

To clarify, I am not someone who casually ignores environmental concerns, at least when it comes to the preservation of our own wild lands here in the US and the native species that inhabit them. The UK government justifies the ban on environmental and public health grounds, citing HSE evidence of lead’s risk to millions of birds, including 40,000 birds of prey and 100,000 wildfowl, annually.

Scientific studies reinforce these concerns, showing lead poisoning suppresses raptor populations and that there’s no agreed-upon safe level for human consumption. HSE’s December 2024 opinion concluded that the risks are “not adequately controlled.” However, the narrative isn’t straightforward.

While lead’s toxicity is undeniable, the scale and necessity of a blanket ban are debated. The “no safe level” assertion is a powerful political tool.  

Exactly, and I’m sensitive to the issue of lead in our environment. I literally covered it on Tuesday, for crying out loud. There are legitimate concerns regarding lead in our environment.

Yet as author Luke Cuenco notes, there are logistical concerns. That’s why the measure includes exceptions for people like police and the military. They can still shoot lead ammo, which is because such ammo is far less expensive, particularly as training ammunition.

My own take is that while environmentalism might be a driving force in all of this, it’s also a handy way to keep shooting sports out of the hands of the masses.

It’s one thing to allow the wealthy to hunt. It’s another to permit the plebeian masses to have the means to also shoot. Why, they might decide to defend themselves from the government or something.

While laws can keep guns out of many hands, because the elite will always want exemptions for themselves, others will find ways to lawfully own firearms for whatever reason. That means they need to make it harder and harder for anyone to enjoy shooting.

So, making the ammo more expensive by limiting choices works just fine for that.

It won’t be the last push by any means.

That said, I’d love it if the ammo companies could figure out a way to make low-cost, lead-free ammo. Take the wind right out of their sales, help the environment, and still sell a buttload of product to people who want it.

That’s a win all around.

Editor’s Note: There’s a good reason we’re not British subjects, but now we’re in a new fight for our independence from radical authoritarians and those who want to strip us of our individual liberties. 

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