Ed, since you weren't around when lead was banned, then you probably don't know the history of steel. Steel when it was first available to hunters is not the same as the steel loads you shoot today. They have improved significantly--but they still are not the ballistic equal of lead. You still need to shoot steel 4's to get the same energy as with lead 6's--which means you end up with fewer pellets in equivalent loads. But early steel loads bulged chokes, scored barrels, etc. There were indeed died in the wool waterfowlers who saw bad things happen to their classic Model 12's, A5's, and Browning Superposeds, and basically said "To hell with it!" Today, we have better steel loads, and we know enough not to shoot them in older guns with both tight chokes and thinner barrels. And we have barrel-friendly alternatives for the old guns--although, unfortunately, they happen to be very expensive. And they're getting even more expensive, while steel has gotten cheaper.
Brent, I agree with you. Banning lead for dove hunting may be justified, especially on public areas with a lot of shot fall. Going beyond that . . . I'm afraid they're going to have to show me a whole lot more proof where other upland birds are concerned. And they're going to have to explain the whole eagle recovery phenomenon too.