Mutations to Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) linked to familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) enhance an unknown toxic reaction that leads to the selective degeneration of motor neurons. However, the question of how >50 different missense mutations produce a common toxic phenotype remains perplexing. We found that the zinc affinity of four ALS‐associated SOD mutants was decreased up to 30‐fold compared to wild‐type SOD but that both mutants and wild‐type SOD retained copper with similar affinity. Neurofilament‐L (NF‐L), one of the most abundant proteins in motor neurons, bound multiple zinc atoms with sufficient affinity to potentially remove zinc from both wild‐type and mutant SOD while having a lower affinity for copper. The loss of zinc from wild‐type SOD approximately doubled its efficiency for catalyzing peroxynitrite‐mediated tyrosine nitration, suggesting that one gained function by SOD in ALS may be an indirect consequence of zinc loss. Nitration of protein‐bound tyrosines is a permanent modification that can adversely affect protein function. Thus, the toxicity of ALS‐associated SOD mutants may be related to enhanced catalysis of protein nitration subsequent to zinc loss. By acting as a high‐capacity zinc sink, NF‐L could foster the formation of zinc‐deficient SOD within motor neurons.