Hypnotist
04-22-2005, 10:28 AM
Remote-controlled rifles are set up to kill game
By Michael Gardner
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
April 22, 2005
SACRAMENTO – The state Senate voted yesterday to prevent "hunters" from shooting prey on the Web rather than in the wild.
"For me to sit in my office here and shoot deer in Texas is not hunting," said Sen. Abel Maldonado, a Santa Maria Republican and avid hunter.
Senators passed legislation that would bar Internet sites that allow paying customers to connect to remote-controlled rifles strategically stationed to fire when game wanders by.
The 25-6 vote sent the measure, SB 1028, to the Assembly, where it is expected to pass. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not taken a position on the bill.
Maldonado and fellow hunter Bill Morrow of Oceanside were the only Republicans to support the legislation, although it has been endorsed by hunting-and gun-rights groups.
"There's absolutely nothing sporting about slaughtering live animals in what amounts to little more than a high-tech shooting gallery," said the bill's author, Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Redondo Beach.
The legislation is in response to a fledgling Texas company's Internet site, which offers people the opportunity to bag trophies with a click of a mouse.
So far, just two remote-controlled hunts have been conducted at a fenced ranch outside San Antonio. Game eluded the most recent participant.
"He was a quadriplegic who was able to enjoy an experience from his bedside," said Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, R-La Mesa.
Hollingsworth said he opposed the bill because the disabled should be allowed this opportunity and because similar sites are not springing up.
California Department of Fish and Game officials say they offer programs so the disabled can hunt outside with a rifle, not from their couch with a computer.
And some disabled rights advocates say they should not be used as an excuse to justify remote-assisted killing.
"I think it's interesting that some lawmakers who fight us on equal access issues all of a sudden want to give us state-of-the-art access to kill creatures," said Frances Gracechild of Sacramento, who uses a wheelchair.
Cheryl Bergan, who works on independent living issues in the Capitol, said, "There are many venues. There are special guns. There are special trails and sometimes special guides. Even quadriplegics can get out and hunt."
John Lockwood, the operator of the Web site, insisted that the legislation is a knee-jerk reaction.
"It's amazing how they're quick to ban something they know nothing about," he said in a telephone interview from Texas after the vote. "It's like people who have arachnophobia. People are afraid of spiders, no matter how good or bad they are, so they kill them."
The site could benefit soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq who miss hunting game, he said.
Morrow broke ranks with Republicans, saying the site damages the image of sportsmen.
"You can't hunt by computer. That has nothing to do with hunting," said Morrow, who is a hunter.
California is not alone. Fourteen other states, including Texas, are considering similar bans. In Congress, Rep. Thomas Davis, R-Va., has introduced legislation.
"Why should someone be able to point, click and kill?" Davis said in a statement.
The California measure also would make it illegal to import animals killed by remote control. Violators could be fined up to $1,000 and sentenced to as much as six months in jail.
Democrat Sens. Christine Kehoe and Denise Ducheny, both of San Diego, voted for the bill.
WHAT THE FLOCK? :angry: Texas? How Embarrassing...
By Michael Gardner
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
April 22, 2005
SACRAMENTO – The state Senate voted yesterday to prevent "hunters" from shooting prey on the Web rather than in the wild.
"For me to sit in my office here and shoot deer in Texas is not hunting," said Sen. Abel Maldonado, a Santa Maria Republican and avid hunter.
Senators passed legislation that would bar Internet sites that allow paying customers to connect to remote-controlled rifles strategically stationed to fire when game wanders by.
The 25-6 vote sent the measure, SB 1028, to the Assembly, where it is expected to pass. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has not taken a position on the bill.
Maldonado and fellow hunter Bill Morrow of Oceanside were the only Republicans to support the legislation, although it has been endorsed by hunting-and gun-rights groups.
"There's absolutely nothing sporting about slaughtering live animals in what amounts to little more than a high-tech shooting gallery," said the bill's author, Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Redondo Beach.
The legislation is in response to a fledgling Texas company's Internet site, which offers people the opportunity to bag trophies with a click of a mouse.
So far, just two remote-controlled hunts have been conducted at a fenced ranch outside San Antonio. Game eluded the most recent participant.
"He was a quadriplegic who was able to enjoy an experience from his bedside," said Sen. Dennis Hollingsworth, R-La Mesa.
Hollingsworth said he opposed the bill because the disabled should be allowed this opportunity and because similar sites are not springing up.
California Department of Fish and Game officials say they offer programs so the disabled can hunt outside with a rifle, not from their couch with a computer.
And some disabled rights advocates say they should not be used as an excuse to justify remote-assisted killing.
"I think it's interesting that some lawmakers who fight us on equal access issues all of a sudden want to give us state-of-the-art access to kill creatures," said Frances Gracechild of Sacramento, who uses a wheelchair.
Cheryl Bergan, who works on independent living issues in the Capitol, said, "There are many venues. There are special guns. There are special trails and sometimes special guides. Even quadriplegics can get out and hunt."
John Lockwood, the operator of the Web site, insisted that the legislation is a knee-jerk reaction.
"It's amazing how they're quick to ban something they know nothing about," he said in a telephone interview from Texas after the vote. "It's like people who have arachnophobia. People are afraid of spiders, no matter how good or bad they are, so they kill them."
The site could benefit soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq who miss hunting game, he said.
Morrow broke ranks with Republicans, saying the site damages the image of sportsmen.
"You can't hunt by computer. That has nothing to do with hunting," said Morrow, who is a hunter.
California is not alone. Fourteen other states, including Texas, are considering similar bans. In Congress, Rep. Thomas Davis, R-Va., has introduced legislation.
"Why should someone be able to point, click and kill?" Davis said in a statement.
The California measure also would make it illegal to import animals killed by remote control. Violators could be fined up to $1,000 and sentenced to as much as six months in jail.
Democrat Sens. Christine Kehoe and Denise Ducheny, both of San Diego, voted for the bill.
WHAT THE FLOCK? :angry: Texas? How Embarrassing...