Referenced from US Humane Society:The Pennsylvania Senate Judiciary Committee voted 11 to 3 today in favor of legislation to end target shoots with live pigeons once and for all. Pennsylvania holds the dishonor of being the last place where such cruel spectacles are regularly and openly allowed. SB 626, Sen. Pat Browne – District 16, now goes to the full Senate.
Pigeon shoots are bloody, wanton events where trapped birds are launched from boxes. Prizes are granted for shooters who kill the most.
“We thank Sen. Patrick Browne for tirelessly pushing this legislation to end cruel contests outlawed in most states, and Sen. Stewart Greenleaf and members of the Judiciary Committee for passing this legislation onto the Senate,” said Heidi Prescott, senior vice president for the Humane Society of the United States.
Today’s committee approval represented the first legislative vote on the issue in 11 years despite widespread opposition to these events.
Sen. Browne’s measure specifically states that traditional hunting activity is not included in the ban.
About pigeon shoots:
•Other supporters of SB 626 include the Pennsylvania Council of Churches, the Pennsylvania Veterinary Medical Association, the Pennsylvania Federation of Humane Societies, The Pennsylvania Bar Association and the ASPCA.
•A small circuit of pigeon shoots exists in Pennsylvania, attracting out-of-state shooters who cannot participate in the activity considered animal cruelty in their home states.
•In pigeon shoots, the birds are launched one at a time from traps in front of shooters who blast away at close range.
•Typically, 70 percent of the birds released in pigeon shoots are wounded rather than killed outright, with some wounded animals escaping into the area to suffer for hours or days before dying.
•Like dogfighting and cockfighting the shoots are invitation-only events with participants said to bet large sums on the outcomes.
•In 1999, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that pigeon shoot participants could be prosecuted for animal cruelty leading to the ending of the annual Hegins Labor Day Pigeon Shoot. But shoots have continued at private clubs.
3 comments:
When I first learned about pigeon shoots in the early '80s I was profoundly shocked, and have doing whatever I can to help stop them. I have attended three (two at Hegins and one at a private gun club), and was elated to just see that there is finally really good news. As you know our New York pigeons have been trapped for years by the thousands and illegally transported to PA for these events.
Clay pigeon shooting evolved from the hunting sport of shooting birds. It's much more civilised now, using clay targets and has turned into a popular sport as well as a recreational activity. For those who have never been, it's a very simple activity, after a safety briefing you'll be given a shotgun loaded for you, and then the clays are thrown into the air from a trap and you have to shoot them! Once you find your rhythm, watching those clays burst into tiny pieces can be very addictive indeed!
Clay pigeon shooting evolved from the hunting sport of shooting birds. It's much more civilised now, using clay targets and has turned into a popular sport as well as a recreational activity. For those who have never been, it's a very simple activity, after a safety briefing you'll be given a shotgun loaded for you, and then the clays are thrown into the air from a trap and you have to shoot them! Once you find your rhythm, watching those clays burst into tiny pieces can be very addictive indeed!
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