Texas Animal Cruelty Bill Spells Trouble for Sportsmen

[FWiedner]

Texas Animal Cruelty Bill Spells Trouble for Sportsmen

(01/21) - Texas

Texas sportsmen should urge lawmakers to oppose legislation that will turn common hunting practices into criminal acts of animal cruelty.

House Bill 326, introduced by Rep. Toby Goodman, R-Arlington, amends the animal cruelty code to make it a crime for a person to “commit serious bodily injury to an animal” and redefines “animal” to include any nonhuman mammal, bird, or captive amphibian.  The exemption for wild creatures that exists in the animal cruelty code would be removed.

“The vague definition will have huge ramifications for sportsmen,” said Tony Celebrezze, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance director of field services.  “Any act of injury or death to an animal, even hunting or field trialing, will be construed as animal cruelty.”

Sportsmen were previously exempted from such animal cruelty laws when hunting, fishing or trapping.  The exemption has also been removed.  According to HB 326, sportsmen may be prosecuted and have to fight for their innocence in court.  This can cost thousands of dollars.  

Existing law sufficiently defines abuse and cruelty toward animals and recognizes and exempts hunting, fishing and trapping as common wildlife management practices.  House Bill 326 would blur those lines and encourage prosecution of sportsmen.


http://www.ussportsmen.org/INTERACTIVE/FEATURES/READ.CFM?ID=1462

[jhm]

They tried to pass the same kind of laws in Arkansas 2 years ago which would have made us cattlemen criminals because they didnt like the way we treated cattle, de-horning, castration, worming, and having them in a head gate and squeeze shoot to number tag them for identification. the law failed here and I am sure they will just keep going around the country trying to get their law passed, dont fall for their BS    JIM