A friend of mine with the Audubon Society of California forwarded me a press release. The governator, quietly, very quietly, defied the NRA and signed into law a bill that the NRA fought hard against, but now claim they had no position on.
This is a move that should have happened thirty years ago, when it was already clear that the California Condor was one step from extinct and that lead poisoning from ammunition laden carrion was one of their biggest problems. The interesting question is, if the gun lobby kept regulation at bay so long, why did they fall apart now? Is there some lesson for other efforts?
Here is the release:
Audubon California applauds signing of legislation to protect California Condor (AB 821)
Sacramento, CA – Audubon California today applauded Gov. Schwarzenegger’s decision to sign AB 821, which will help the continued recovery of the California Condor by banning the use of lead ammunition from areas inhabited by the endangered species.
"This is a great day for the California Condor and the State of California," said Glenn Olson, executive director of Audubon California. "I would like to commend Governor Schwarzenegger for signing the Ridley-Tree Condor Conservation Act and again putting our state at the forefront on wildlife protection."
Condors frequently feed on animal carcasses left behind by hunters, and ingest dangerously high levels of lead from ammunition. Audubon California, which has long advocated on behalf of the endangered species, has been pushing for additional protections for the Condor both among hunters and actively at the legislative and policy levels.
The new law, authored by Assemblyman Pedro Nava, will require the use of non-lead centerfire ammunition within the Department of Fish and Game’s deer hunting zones within current and potential condor range in California. Lead-free ammunition is increasingly available and will have no effect on hunters’ enjoyment of their sport. To the extent funding is available, big game hunters in these hunting zones will get coupons for non-lead ammunition at no or reduced charge.
"This legislation is clear proof that creative solutions are available to our most vexing environmental issues, and that Californians need not choose between wildlife protection and recreational uses, such as hunting," added Olson.
A month ago, it seemed the NRA had killed off efforts to protect the condors (and quite possibly the condors). Schwartzenegger had appointed Republican and long time hunter Judd Hanna to the California Fish and Game Commission just before a vote by that commission on regulations that would have banned the use of lead ammunition in hunting in the condor's range. When Hanna actually sat down, looked at the evidence he found it was clear that the use of lead ammunition is a major threat to condors. Then he did what is totally unacceptable in Republican circles. He put together a packet of all the research on the effects of lead on Condors and sent copies to the other members of the commission. The NRA, horrified, gathered up all their bought legislators to sign a letter to the Governor demanding that Hanna be removed. Hanna, fired the next day, blasted the NRA for ignoring overwhelming scientific consensus and forcing Schwazenegger into firing him.
While all this was going on, Assemblyman Pedro Nava (D Santa Barbara), pushed a bill through the legislature banning the the use of lead ammunition in the condor's range. To get it through, he drew on powerful connections within the legislature, an important committee chairmanship, a statement signed by dozens of biologist laying out rock solid evidence of every step in the chain from lead bullet manufacture to condor population decline, and an increasingly pro conservation mood in the California electorate. Almost everyone, including me, took the recent firing of Hanna as a sign that Arnold was the NRA's lapdog and would veto the bill.
Now here is where it gets really interesting. Hanna's firing made the condor/lead story much bigger news. The Humane Society got very involved on a national level. Papers all over the state wrote editorials. Hanna said a bunch of quotable things about the NRA and implied a bunch of things about the Governor's lack of ability to buck them. The press coverage consistently pointed out that the scientific evidence all supported a strong link between lead and condor deaths, and all made it clear that if Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill, it would be because the NRA ordered him to do so. And a lot of that coverage, especially the editorials, questioned not just Schwarzenegger's judgment, or his much touted commitment to the environment, but rather his leadership, his independence, his strength under pressure. In other words, his manhood. The issue was framed as a choice for Arnold. Keep on "caving" (a word used in almost every editorial on the subject) to pressure from the NRA, continue being their boy, or stand up, be strong and do what's right because he was a leader.
I guess once it was framed that way, his handlers decided it was better to quietly sign the bill, along with dozens of others, rather than veto it. And so after thirty years, an obviously necessary policy became law.
To generalize a bit, the important elements here were:
- Overwhelming scientific evidence actively communicated to the public and politicians by scientists.
- A press that was willing to say "the scientific consensus is strong" rather than "Democrats and tree humppers claim that their is science."
- Democratic leaders who understand and care about the scientific evidence and conservation. (Assemblyman Nava deserves a huge amount of credit here.)
- Questioning a Republican governor's manhood.
Democrats usually have the science on our side. We need to make sure that scientist are communicating their results to the public, the press and leaders in both parties. We need to elect leaders who have shown an ability to understand and act on scientific evidence. We need to encourage the press to make statements of fact (the world is round), rather than just quotes of statements of facts from partisans (Mayor Tom Bates of Berkeley, at a rally for the reproductive rights of homosexual female terrorism suspects, said, "the world is round"). And we need to hit Republican leaders where it hurts, in their machismo, by pointing out that if they were so tough, they wouldn't lick the boots of every far right lobbyist that came through their doors.
Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to write the Governor a letter congratulating him on being a real man.