New York Animal Cruelty Bill Will Make Criminals of Sportsmen(02/17) New York
New York sportsmen should urge state lawmakers to defeat an assembly bill that will make hunting a punishable act of animal cruelty.
Assembly Bill 1850, introduced by Assemblyman Alexander Grannis, D-New York, would revise the state’s definition of animal cruelty to include “killing or injuring...wild game and wild birds.” The revision would make legal hunting and trapping activities criminal offenses. The bill is being considered before the Assembly Agriculture Committee.
“The bill creates a contradiction in the law as the state code allows regulated hunting,” said Tony Celebrezze, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance director of state services. “But the definition of animal cruelty in the bill makes hunting illegal.
“If AB 1850 becomes law, anti-hunters will have a field day ensuring that sportsmen are prosecuted on animal cruelty charges,” said Celebrezze.
Anti-hunting lawmakers nationwide are introducing vague or poorly worded animal cruelty legislation in an effort to outlaw hunting.
Assembly Bill 1850 bares striking similarities to a Texas bill that would turn common hunting practices into criminal acts of animal cruelty. Sportsmen in Iowa and Connecticut have also had to defeat animal cruelty bills that threatened hunting with hounds.
http://www.ussportsmen.org/interactive/features/Read.cfm?ID=1490