AmmoCalifornia considering lead ammo ban
Health and environmental advocates are trying to make California the first state to enforce a statewide ban on the use of lead bullets for hunting. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that there are 400,000 pieces of lead shot per acre in wild game territory which can be eaten or washed into rivers and waterways. The USGS also says that 60,000 metric tons of lead fired off last year is the second largest use of lead in the United States behind batteries. The CDC reports that lead is so abundant in meat harvested through hunting, that pregnant woman and children should never eat it. The NRA opposes the ban, saying it could possibly the end of hunting in California.
Lead rounds may soon be banned under California law // Source: bigstockphoto.com
Health and environmental advocates are trying to make California the first state to enforce a statewide ban on the use of lead bullets for hunting.
Fox News reports that supporters say the bullets are a s threat to the future recovery of rare birds. They cite the death of a condor last November. An autopsy found a 22-caliber bullet in its stomach. Other examples include death a golden eagle under similar circumstances. This is not the first attempt to ban lead ammunition in an effort to preserve endangers species. These efforts have so far failed. Advocates say that lead bullet fragments can also be a danger to children and to developing fetuses.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), there are 400,000 pieces of lead shot per acre in wild game territory which can be eaten or washed into rivers and waterways. The USGS also says that 60,000 metric tons of lead fired off last year is the second largest use of lead in the United States behind batteries.
”There is no safe level of lead for human consumption,” California State Assemblyman Anthony Rendon, told Fox News. Rendon’s lead bullet ban bill was passed this month by the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee.
Lead bullets are already banned in eight California counties where the endangered condors live. The new proposal would make the ban state-wide. More than twenty states have partial bans on the bullets in areas with sensitive or endangered wild life.
Supporters of the latest push for the measure emphasize that they are concerned about more than animals. “This isn’t just about the health of the wildlife population,” Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield, (D-Woodland) told Fox News. “It’s about the health of the human population and the health of the environment.”
Heath authorities agree. According to a 2008 study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the North Dakota Department of Public Health, lead is so abundant in meat harvested through hunting, that pregnant woman and children should never eat it.
The National Rifle Association and other gun organizations are campaigning against the ban, saying that it will eventually lead to gun control and possibly the end of hunting in California. Pro-gun advocates also say that banning lead will force hunters to use other metals, such as copper, which could be a a violation of federal regulations which ban armor piercing ammunition.
“We have regulatory uncertainty,” Ryan Bronson of the National Shooting Sports Foundation in Minnesota, told Fox News. “The potential exists for a de facto ammunition ban.”
Less than 1 percent of residents in the state carry hunting licenses, but the money generated from the licenses fund several animal protection programs, according to opponents of the ban. They acknowledge that some animals can die after ingesting lead fragments, but say that except for the Condor, there is no evidence showing that wildlife populations have significantly decreased from lead poisoning.
“Not for doves. Not for eagles. Not for loons,” Ryan told the committee shortly before the wildlife committee passed the bill 9-5. It next goes to the appropriations committee then the Democrat-controlled legislature.
