New Law Bans Shooting Live Animals in Live-Fire Military Trauma Training

In a landmark win for animals, Congress and the Trump Administration banned all live-fire trauma training on live animals throughout the Department of War in 2026, sparing thousands of animals from being shot, grievously wounded, and killed for outdated military training exercises. The ban—stipulated in the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes this historic amendment sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida’s thirteenth congressional district—follows decades of PETA’s work exposing and advocating against the mutilation and killing of animals during military trauma drills. It marks a seismic shift toward state-of-the-art, human-relevant simulation technology already embraced by the U.S. Coast Guard and leading medical experts.