I'm working with a public health organization in Northern California and this may be unsuitable for this area, but MODS just read it and take it off if you think it's inappropriate.

Ok, so california has a bill on the table that will outlaw the use of lead bullets for hunting (Assembly Bill 711). Aside from increasing the cost of hunting, what other implications are there? I have heard that non-lead bullets are considered armor piercing by the feds http://www.atf.gov/firearms/guides/...irearms-verification-gca-ammunition.html let me know your interpretation. I'm trying to get our organization to either oppose the bill, or take no action. Resources would be great so I can show evidence. Thanks for any input.

Ted, hunting WHAT? You need to educate that EXPANDING bullets are necessary for more humane harvesting of game animals. Non lead (read that as non expanding) bullets will only poke a hole as large as the bullet diameter. NOT A GOOD THINGS MOST OF THE TIME.

new all copper bullets are pretty good and not armor piercing.

Excellent example Greaser!

I used to keep up with all the "Gun" info. Haven't really followed it for several years though. I have just payed attention to knives.

Thanks private
these are going to be my new self defense round, talk about nasty.

Copper costs approximately 3x as much as lead, talk about expensive bullets.

I think you should find out if California considers non-lead bullets armor piercing regardless of if they actually are. Laws are often no-where near reality.

they are spendy.

That is true especially in the socialist state of california it seems.

Thanks for all the replies and info. Greaser, I was specifically thinking of Barnes, it's a good example. It's just that some of the arguments against this bill is that hunting would essentially be outlawed because non-lead bullets are considered armor piercing. Since they are not, I cannot use that argument.

I don't want to see lead bullets outlawed here, but now I just have to use studies to see how much lead contamination actually occurs. There are some studies regarding individual contamination due to rounds fragmenting in the animal. Sounds like I have more research to do.

This would surprise me unless you actually swallowed a fragment? My (complete layman's) guess is you get more lead in your body walking around a major city for a couple of hours than you do from those 5 deer you shoot and eat every year.

I know friends that are walking around with fragments in them as we speak, I think the lead poisoning thing is overblown. I believe once you are full grown the effect of the minor amounts of lead those of us that are shooters/hunters ingest is negligible as far as ill effects and as far as environmental effects they do realise that it comes from the ground right. lol

The new copper bullets are good but again stupid laws by stupid people.