Phase 2 of Lead Ammo Ban Begins in California

With Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature on AB 771, California became the first – and only -- state to implement such a sweeping ban. Not surprisingly, the law was largely supported by anti-hunting groups, led by the Humane Society of the United State (HSUS).

The California ban was opposed by hunting groups and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the primary trade organization representing the firearms and ammunition industry.

Phase 1 of the ban, effective July1, 2015, required non-lead ammo for hunting Nelson bighorn sheep on all state department of Fish and Wildlife lands.

The final phase of the implementation of the California lead ammo ban goes into effect July 1, 2019, when hunters must use non-lead ammunition when taking any animal anywhere in the state for any purpose. It should be noted there are no restrictions on the use of lead-based ammunition for target shooting or personal defense.

In other states where the endangered scavenger species is known to live and nest — namely Arizona and Utah — game managers and lawmakers have wisely refrained from implementing bans and enacting laws, and instead have asked hunters who pursue big game animals in condor habitat to voluntarily use non-lead ammunition.

And, we’re pleased to report, the voluntary program has been highly successful.

Photo credits: USFWS

In Utah, for example, hunters who use non-lead ammunition on the Zion hunting unit, as well as those who remove from the field the viscera of the animals they tag, are eligible for prizes through a program implemented by the Utah Division of Natural Resources. They are also offered coupons for discounted non-lead ammo.

And in Arizona, the voluntary participation rate among hunters in the northern portion of the state where the birds reside is estimated to exceed 90 percent.

In 1982, only 22 California Condors survived. By 1987, all remaining wild condors had been placed in captivity, thus beginning an intensive recovery effort among government agencies, zoos and other conservation groups to save the California condor from extinction. In 1992, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) began reintroducing captive-bred condors into the wild and with the help of public and private partners the total population has grown to approximately 430 birds.

Based on the successful programs supported by hunters in Arizona and Utah, don’t look for those states to follow California’s lead on lead.

“We’re confident hunters will step up to protect condors in the state,” said Greg Sheehan, director of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources. “We don’t have any intentions of proposing or supporting legislation that would ban the use of lead ammunition in Utah.”