Has anyone actually called for a ban on lead ammunition, based on human health or other concerns?
Yes. Unfounded fears over lead bullet fragmentation, or ingestion by certain birds, have caused some to call for a ban on the use of lead ammunition. For example: In 2007, California totally banned the use of lead ammunition for big game hunting throughout condor habitat in the state, and that prohibition took effect on July 1, 2008. In February 2009, the state Fish and Game Commission began considering a statewide ban on the use of lead ammunition. The commission also considered a ban on lead ammunition for small game and upland bird hunting in the state’s condor zone but opted against that proposal by a 4-1 vote on Aug. 6, 2009. California has pushed for these additional lead bans even though data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) shows that the state’s existing lead ban has not reduced blood-lead levels in condors. Despite reports of nearly 100 percent compliance from hunters in the first year of the lead ban, a California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) report utili
