# Canyon's Law: Plain Language Summary

Canyon's Law would ban the use of M-44 devices, commonly called "cyanide bombs," on all federal public lands across the United States. These are spring-loaded traps that shoot out sodium cyanide powder when an animal triggers them. The devices are currently used by government agencies to kill predators like coyotes, wolves, and foxes that ranchers believe are threatening livestock. If this bill passes, federal agencies would have 30 days to remove all existing M-44 devices from public lands managed by the National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, and other federal agencies.

The main concern driving this bill is that M-44 devices are extremely dangerous and indiscriminate. Sodium cyanide is classified by the EPA as the most toxic pesticide available, and exposure can cause paralysis, blindness, cardiac arrest, and death. The problem is that these traps don't just kill their intended targets—they've harmed or killed family dogs, eagles, bears, and other wildlife that accidentally trigger them. Since 1984, at least 42 people have been accidentally exposed to cyanide from these devices, including children in Idaho and Wyoming who suffered serious injuries. The devices only work about half the time anyway, meaning they're killing lots of unintended animals while often failing at their actual purpose.

The bill is named after Canyon, an incident that highlighted these dangers. Supporters argue that with so many safer alternatives available for protecting livestock, there's no justification for continuing to use such a hazardous and indiscriminate weapon on public lands that belong to all Americans. The ban would only apply to federal public lands, so ranchers could still use other predator control methods on private property, and the bill doesn't prevent states or counties from using M-44s on non-federal land.

Canyon’s Law

Huffman, Jared

Canyon's Law This bill prohibits the preparing, placing, installing, setting, deploying, or otherwise using an M-44 device on public land. An M-44 device is defined as a device designed to propel sodium cyanide when triggered by an animal, including any device that may be commonly known as an M-44 ejector device or an M-44 predator control device. No later than 30 days after the enactment of this bill, any federal, state, or county agency that has prepared, placed, installed, set, or deployed an M-44 device on public land shall remove each such device from such land.