Non-lead Ammo in California

California's non-lead ammunition law is now fully in effect as of July 1, 2019, phased in over several years. Originally intended largely to regulate ammunition used for taking (hunting) wildlife within the California Condor range, the implementing regs are broader, and there's a fair amount of confusion out there. For example, while in a LGS last week the counter guy, a retired LE now working part time retail for a few extra bucks, told me that this law also covered defense ammo. Great marketing angle for his store, except it's not true.

So here's a summary of the new law, mostly taken from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) website at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/hunting/nonlead-ammunition although as I'll note below the website descriptions are, to be generous, a little over-simplified.

"In October 2013, Assembly Bill 711 was signed into law requiring the use of nonlead ammunition when taking any wildlife with a firearm in California. This law required the California Fish and Game Commission to adopt regulations that phased-in the statute’s requirements by July 1, 2019."

Info on enforcement (first-offense fine is $500):

"All ammunition in a hunter’s possession may be inspected by wildlife officers. In some cases, if a wildlife officer suspects a hunter is in possession of lead ammunition and cannot prove otherwise in the field, he or she may seize a cartridge or bullet for further analysis. Hunters are encouraged to assist in confirming compliance by retaining and carrying in the field ammunition boxes or other packaging."

Non-hunting uses:

"The regulations do not require use of nonlead ammunition when target shooting. Use of lead projectiles for target shooting is legal unless CDFW or another government entity has determined otherwise for lands they administer. The regulations do not prohibit the possession of concealable firearms containing lead ammunition, provided the firearm is possessed for personal protection and is not used to take or assist in the take of wildlife. With the exception of ammunition for concealable firearms possessed for personal protection, hunters may not possess lead ammunition along with a firearm capable of firing that ammunition."

So by my reading, use of traditional self-defense ammo is fine as long as it isn't used for hunting. It's not certain that every game warden understands this, so for now I'm carrying solid copper loads whenever in rural areas in hunting season.

The link below is to Assembly Bill 711, and a quick read will show that it's more limited than what's described above. That suggests that, as often happens, CDFW wrote implementing regs with broader coverage than the enabling legislation.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/f...201320140AB711

I've had to do a little research on the above to stay in compliance, because although I don't hunt very often (lack of time more than lack of interest), I do occasionally need to "take" wildlife as part of my job. Our federal and state permits for various projects typically require my biologists to remove non-native species found on the project site... in typical California PC style, the permits don't tell us how to do that. Apparently we're supposed to snap our fingers and make them magically disappear into thin air, as far as the general public is concerned. Well we aren't going to take them all home as pets, so guess what the alternative is.

Usually that's small, obscure critters covered by few if any regs. Last week on an emergency box culvert replacement on the coast highway we culled a few dozen non-native crayfish, basically threw them on the bank and stepped on them. Bullfrogs are a common one here though, they're wary and it's easier to just shoot them. Mostly I've been using CCI copper 22LR for that recently (expensive but effective), although occasionally an opportunistic encounter requires that we use whatever we're carrying that day. In one encounter earlier this year, before the non-lead regs kicked all the way in, I can tell you that 9mm +p 135gr Critical Duty makes short work of a large bullfrog, even if it is a bit of overkill (wasn't til later that I learned bullfrogs may not be covered by the new law, which is limited to game and non-game mammals and birds).

Although I haven't had to "take" a game species or any mammal or bird on the job this year, in theory if I were to encounter a feral pig on a project site... they are on at least one of my current job sites... it should be culled. Normally we would do that under a depredation permit since it is a game species. However ammo selection becomes trickier when big tough critters are considered.

In 9mm, I have essentially two choices for non-lead ammo: Any of several all-copper hollowpoints in defense loadings, or xtreme penetrators. I keep a magazine loaded with the Underwood version of the latter, and when on remote sites that's what is in the pistol, and it's fine when considering smaller to medium sized critters.

I'm sometimes on sites with larger and tougher critters. I have two sites now with high densities of (native) black bear, and although there are no known attacks on humans in this county and my typical observation is of a rapidly departing back end, I'm sometimes in the field at night, in the backcountry, and literally stepping over fresh bear scat. So it's a concern especially in mamma bear with cubs season. And those pigs, we have only a small number of small individuals on current sites but that could change, it's not far to places with lots of them and again it's at dusk and at night when encounters become more likely. So I'm currently evaluating alternate calibers for at least some locations/purposes, 357 Magnum or 45 acp offer the defense loads or xtreme penetrator options mentioned above for 9mm but also the option of loading Cutting Edge solids in heavier weights (165 and 200 gr, respectively). For 357, there are also heavier (Barnes 140 gr XPB) copper hollowpoint loads designed for hunting. On early trips to sites and not yet being sure what's out there, I've been known to carry an N-frame revolver with 45 Colt loads, but post July 1 I need to find something to replace the 255 gr LSWC hardcast loads for that one and have only tried Barnes XPB so far. Multiple options are in early testing stages and it will be a little while til any decisions are made.

It should be noted that at least in this end of the state, many of the retail outlets selling ammo have done a surprisingly poor job of stocking much variety of non-lead ammo, and even less outside of a few large centerfire hunting rifle calibers. DOJ is currently saying out of state online orders can't be shipped in even for those of us who have COE's, in direct contradiction of the actual legislation. So for anyone spending much time in the field here, a little advance planning is a wise idea.