On their last day in power, the Obama administration instituted a new executive action banning lead ammunition from use on federal land. It’s a move that impacts hunters and recreational shooters in dozens of western states.
We’ve talked about the joys of shooting on public land, and in some states that Federal land is so prevalent that proper shooting ranges are few and far between. Americans venture out into the wilderness to enjoy their Second Amendment rights and the natural beauty of publicly owned land every single day of the year, shooting all kinds of firearms and (usually) not causing any harm to anyone else.
The latest Obama Administration executive action effectively bans all lead ammunition from federally owned land, meaning that non-lead ammo (such as copper and compressed metal projectiles) are now the only acceptable ammunition for any firearm.
The problem there (amongst others): states like California explicitly ban handgun ammunition that isn’t lead based, saying it is “armor piercing.” That sets up a nice little circular logic, the end result of which is that handguns are now effectively banned on federal land in California and similar states.
If states like California want to ban lead ammunition then they need to update their laws to remove the ridiculous “armor piercing” ammunition ban. Or don’t. I get the feeling that a court case about this issue would be very entertaining now that we’re in Trump’s America.