Trump Just Ordered Interior to Let Lead Ammo Back on Federal Hunts

The White House posted the executive order September 17, 2026, titled “Reinvigorating America’s Hunting Heritage,” signed Donald J. Trump. Section 1 is the policy: “It is therefore the policy of my Administration to reinvigorate, protect, and expand America’s hunting heritage.” Section 2(a) gives the Interior Secretary 90 days to allow hunting of species not listed under 16 U.S.C. § 1533 inside Castle Mountains National Monument and Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. The President’s finding in the order: “appropriately managed hunting would not put the objects of historic and scientific interest that these monuments protect at risk.”

Section 2(b) is the ammo line. Within 180 days, the Secretaries of War, Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce “shall, consistent with applicable law, propose modifications to policies or regulations that prohibit or restrict access” — except national parks and monuments other than the two named above — including to “permit the use of traditional lead ammunition and tackle.” The same subsection tells them to treat hunting as generally allowed unless a specific closure is justified, to fix access infrastructure, to unlock checkerboarded parcels through easements and exchanges that “respect private property rights,” to let qualified volunteers manage wildlife and invasives, and to authorize assistive technology on trails. Agriculture gets 60 days to reform high-demand Forest Service river-access lotteries: prioritize U.S. citizens and unsuccessful prior applicants, and “prohibit the use of automatic computer entries.” Interior gets a year to encourage states to expand Sunday hunting on state and federal land.

The companion fact sheet the same day is the short version: expand hunting on selected federal land, cut policies that block recreation and wildlife management, “allow the use of traditional lead ammo and tackle.” This does not repeal a statute. It directs proposed policy changes, subject to applicable law, including Executive Order 13443, and to appropriations. National parks stay closed to the general hunting presumption. It does not touch NFA items, Form 4473, or state ammo bans. What it does is put lead ammunition back into the federal access conversation the last administration tried to close.