California Bans Lead Ammunition

Governor Jerry Brown signed A.B. 711 on Friday, Oct. 11, banning lead ammunition for hunting in California. The statewide ban takes effect in 2019. Brown noted that hunters and anglers are “the original conservationists” and that switching to non-toxic ammunition “will allow them to continue the conservation heritage of California.”

In his signing statement Brown added: “Lead poses a danger to wildlife. This danger has been known for a long time. Since 2007, California has prohibited it in the eight counties within the condor range. In fact, at least thirty other states regulate lead ammunition in some manner.”

The NRA, which deems A.B. 711 an “anti-hunting bill” promises to “look over all the recently signed laws and our legal options for law-abiding Californians.”

Brown took action on several firearms measures Friday, banning kits that expand the capacity of ten round magazines and making it a crime to leave a loaded gun in an area where minors might find it without permission.

Brown also vetoed several gun bills, including SB 374 that would have defined all semiautomatic rifles with detachable magazines as “assault weapons,” banning their future sale and transfer and requiring current owners to register and pay a fee. In vetoing that bill Brown wrote: “I don’t believe that this bill’s blanket ban on semi-automatic rifles would reduce criminal activity or enhance public safety enough to warrant this infringement on gun owners’ rights.”