AP file photo New rules on .22-caliber ammunition will apply only to areas where the endangered California condor roams, including the Big Sur area, above.
Posted on 12/10/2007 10:51:23 PM PST by neverdem
AP file photo New rules on .22-caliber ammunition will apply only to areas where the endangered California condor roams, including the Big Sur area, above.
SACRAMENTO — California hunting regulators Friday broadened a prohibition on lead bullets scheduled to take effect July 1, adding .22-caliber ammunition to the ban.
The new rules will apply only in those areas where the endangered California condor roams — generally, the coastal mountains from Monterey south to Ventura County and in the southern Sierra.
The action by the Fish and Game Commission follows enactment of a landmark law signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this fall that bans the use of lead ammunition by deer hunters in the affected areas.
Lead poisoning is the leading cause of sickness and death among condors in the wild, and condor researchers say bullet fragments in the carcasses of fallen animals are the principal source of the poisoning.
Conservationists praised the regulations, adopted on a 3-1 vote.
"This is another victory for the California condor," said Graham Chisolm of Audubon California. "The commission took the right steps to ensure that the new law is implemented in a way that makes the most sense for both the condor and hunters."
"These regulations go above and beyond the scope of the law," said Pamela Flick, state program director for Defenders of Wildlife.
She noted that the law would have provided an exemption for .22-caliber ammunition, which is typically used to shoot non-game animals such as ground squirrels and black crows. Alternatives to lead ammunition for .22-caliber rifles is not yet commercially available.
Adrianna Shea, the commission's deputy executive director, said commissioners hope their action will spur manufacturers to produce nonlead alternatives. Copper bullets are already available for larger caliber rifles that are typically used for deer hunting.
She noted the dissenting vote of Commissioner Jim Kellogg was based solely on his objection to including .22-caliber ammunition in the ban.
Shea said the commission's action was independent from the law, and Friday's vote simply completed a regulatory process the commission initiated months ago.
The regulations also go one step beyond the law by banning not just the use but also the possession of lead ammunition in the affected areas. That distinction, she noted, will make it easier for wardens to enforce the ban.
Schwarzenegger in October signed AB 821 by Assemblyman Pedro Nava, D-Santa Barbara, over the objections of firearms manufacturers and gun-owner groups, including the National Rifle Association.
Yeah, I’ve got about 100,000 rounds of .22LR I’ve bought a little at a time over the last few years. Thought something like this might be in the works. I handload everything else I shoot.
.22's are cheap, small, and in close quarters ... the assasins favorite.
Hell, a piece of copper tube, and and elastic band make a kill machine.
Did it during the reign of Clinton the First. I call it the "Clinton Arsenal".
I see you're parotting the anti-gunner lead bs. Please explain where you found this. I'm really curious. And if you're talking about the primer, the charge in the primer is typically less than one grain of lead styphnate or lead azide, none of which forms any gaseous lead compounds on ignition.
“unless you get off some lucky shots,”
Umm...I think you’d better check with the Mossad.
Err... sorry 'bout that... Thanks for that...uh...Information!
;)
"We're going to hammer guns on the anvil of relentless legislative strategy! We're going to beat guns into submission!"
~Senator Charles Schumer, 1993
Do we really need to look further into the reality of this law... its not for the damn birds...
That .50 looked like a Serbu BFG. Serbu's about an hour north of my locale. I see their test guy at my local range once in a while.
I call BS on that! I've found way too many intact lead bullets over the years. Any documentation on that, aside from the Brady Bunch?
In my more fantastical moments, I wonder what it'd be like toting an Anzio Ironworks 20mm to a local range. ;-)
Try it and report back.
:)
Gotta get the Missus to sign off on a $12k expenditure. It may be a while... ;-)
Good luck
Christmas?
“The conventional lead ammo isn’t really good for the shooter anyway so maybe this is a good thing”
Do you have some science to back up this statement, or do you FEEL this is fact?
Let me posit what the SCIENTIFIC evidence shows: A shooter of lead bullets is in NO danger if shooting in a well ventilated range or outside.
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