Tag Archives: CRPA

An Opposing Viewpoint

Posted on by

An Opposing Viewpoint: Proposed Lead-Ammo Ban Is an Assault on California Hunters
Written by Tom Pedersen

Regarding “Get the Lead Out: Effort to Ban Lead Ammo in California Should Be a No-Brainer”:

Assembly Bill 711 would ban all hunting with lead ammunition throughout California. Self-proclaimed environmental groups, largely opposed to hunting in general, claim condors feeding on game carcasses are poisoned by lead ammunition fragments, and are pushing this ill-conceived proposal through the Legislature to bypass the scrutiny their claims received from the Fish and Game Commission. The commission enacts hunting and fishing regulations, and analyzes scientific claims before taking regulatory action. This is the second time these groups have tried to skirt the commission’s review.

There has been a ban on hunting large game with lead ammunition in the California condor range since 2008, due to the passage of Assembly Bill 821. The same anti-hunting groups pushed AB 821 through the Legislature to get around real scientific inquiry into the source of lead poisoning in condors that was being conducted by the commission at that time. They promised that AB 821 would stop condors from being poisoned. It hasn’t.

Faced with AB 821’s predictable failure, lead-ammo-ban advocates then pressured the commission to expand the scope of the AB 821 lead-ammo ban statewide. But last August, the commission refused to expand the scope of the existing lead-ammo ban, citing the need for more scientific evaluation. At the August 2012 commission meeting, scientists critical of the lead-ammo-ban proponents’ claims showed that the incidence of lead poisoning in condors has not gone down, and blood-lead levels and mortality have actually increased! This is true despite California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s confirmation that 99 percent of California hunters are complying with AB 821, and have not used lead ammo since 2008. This strongly suggests an alternative source of soluble lead in the environment that is poisoning condors—something other than metallic lead ammunition. Read more…

Tom Pedersen is the retired Chief of Law Enforcement for the California Department of Fish and Game. He currently serves as the liaison on legislative and fish and game regulatory issues for the California Rifle and Pistol Association.

CA Department of Justice Bureau of Firearms Severely Backlogged in Issuing Licenses and Permits

Posted on by

In light of the recent increase in applications for firearm purchases as well as the reshuffling of personnel, the California Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has become severely backlogged in conducting background checks and issuing various licenses and permits. Turnaround times for Personal Firearms Eligibility Checks and Law Enforcement Gun Release Applications, along with common background checks for firearm acquisition, are seeing unprecedented delays.

The licenses and permits delayed include dangerous weapons permits, certificates of eligibility (“COE”), large-capacity magazine (LCM) permits, entertainment firearms permits, and centralized list of firearm dealers permits. Currently, the DOJ is issuing temporary permits to avoid any lapses in the renewal of licenses and permits.

Because of the flood of calls concerning these delays, DOJ has stopped answering its phones. There is a recorded message informing licensees and permitteees that it may take up to eight weeks in processing any renewals. Generally, DOJ does not send out renewal notices until 30 days before the licenses or permits are set to expire.

All federal firearms licensees and permittees should review their permits and licenses for the expirations dates. Licensees and permittees should have any necessary supplemental paperwork prepared up to two months before filing a renewal. Once the renewal notice is received from the DOJ, the necessary paperwork should promptly be submitted to ensure that there will be no lapses in any licenses or permits. If a license or permit has expired and no renewal license or permit has been sent, make sure that you have a valid temporary license or permit from the DOJ in the meantime.

SB 140 to be challenged in court!

Posted on by

SB 140, by Senator Leno, was signed into law despite strong opposition against the bill by CRPA. The bill proposes to allow the State DOJ to use background check fees for purposes other than their authorize purpose. CRPA and NRA have filed a law suit challenging the illegal use of the fees. The court case is pending at this time.

Hold on to your guns!
This year the CRPA is tracking an unprecedented number of bills – 51 to be exact – that could impact firearms owners and sportsmen. Most of this legislation is vehemently ANTI-GUN AND ANTI-HUNTING and outright attacks your gun rights.

For more information on these bills visit our Bill Status Update page here.

Contribute to CRPA’s lobbying efforts!
YOU ARE THE CALIFORNIA GUN LOBBY! BE PROACTIVE AND GET INVOLVED