News Alert: California Bans Lead Bullets

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill outlawing lead bullets for much of the state of California.  His move goes against the California Department of Fish and Game’s recommendations on this issue and now puts in to question any authority that the department holds in regulating California’s Fish and Game policies based on scientific analysis.  California’s Department of Fish and Game now worry that many of the state’s policies could be ushered in to a more political format, relying on voter decision and policy makers, rather than sure-fire scientifically based studies.

The bill outlawing the use of lead bullets, The Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act, has been deemed quite questionable.  The bill outlaws lead bullets after it was found that lead was poisoning the state’s endangered California Condors.  Scientists and environmental groups jumped on the issue and attributed it to lead bullets left in dead deer.  The California Outdoor Heritage Alliance suggests that the lead could be coming from anywhere, with no scientific proof for the lead bullet suggestion.

Governor Schwarzenegger’s signature on the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act will undoubtedly draw more criticism and questions in the near future.  Big game hunters in California will be required to use lead free bullets beginning with the 2008 hunting season.  Hunters will be less than enthusiastic, as the price and effectiveness of the newer non-lead bullets have already been a question of hot debate.

This is the second big gun debate of 2008.  Recently Washington D.C. ’s ban on guns was lifted after it was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, paving the way for many other cities and towns to relax their own bans on this issue.  Gun owners and sportsman won a big battle in Washington D.C., only to see another front move in, that of the environmental aspects of the sport they partake.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming days and what new issues are brought up over the signing of the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act.

What are your thoughts on this issue?