Coalition Forms to Oppose California Ban on Lead Ammunition

A broad coalition of 24 gun and hunting organizations throughout the country, together with thousands of Californians, have come together to oppose California Assembly Bill 711. If passed, AB 711 would make CA “the first state to ban the use of traditional lead ammunition for hunting.” 

The coalition has sent a letter to state senator Fran Pavley, chair of the CA Senate Natural Resources Committee, noting that a bill targeting shooting sports participants and manufacturers is actually antithetical to conservation in the state. And this is because, “shooting sports participants and manufacturers are the largest financial supporters of wildlife conservation throughout the United States, having contributed over $5.4 billion to habitat conservation.”

In addition to the conservation issue, the coalition letter highlights other problems with passing a lead ammo ban in CA. These include the fact that it would drive ammunition prices through the roof “due to the cost of using alternative [bullet] materials such as copper or bronze.” The letter also asserts that such a ban would set the stage for “a de facto ban on hunting.” 

National Shooting Sports Foundation senior vice president Lawrence G. Keane summed up the dangers of AB711 this way: “If enacted, AB711 will drastically and negatively affect thousands of Californians that participate in hunting and recreational shooting and the firearms and ammunition industries as well as the vital conservation programs they fund.”