Environmental groups have been telling American hunters that we must not be allowed the use of traditional ammunition with lead components. Despite a complete and total lack of scientific evidence to support their claims, the California legislature recently embraced their worldview with the enactment of AB 711, which bans the use of traditional ammunition in hunting statewide.
The groups supporting the ban — among them the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) — insisted that other alternatives, like bullets made from copper, were far superior and easily available to hunters. They ignored the fact that ATF has not yet decided whether to ban many such alternative bullets nationwide, under the federal law that bans armor-piercing ammunition. Those loads that have made it to market are rare even when an ammo shortage is not occurring coast to coast, and they are dramatically more expensive than traditional cartridges.
And now, Al-Jazeera, of all outlets, has unearthed the fact that the Center for Biological Diversity is opposing a copper mine in Arizona.
A CBD staffer earnestly told the outlet that mining copper is “a threat to air quality, to water quality and quantity, it’s a threat to the wildlife.”
Wait – aren’t all those the same claims that CBD and others made about traditional lead ammunition? Well, they are certainly diligent about recycling. Meanwhile, if CBD wants to mandate copper ammunition and then opposes the mining of copper, how is the industry supposed to gain access to the necessary raw materials? Hope for a visit from the Copper Fairy?
Really, what CBD and its allied groups want is not just less hunting with lead ammunition. They want less hunting, period, and they will pursue that end using any means necessary.