|
Utah State Senator Michael Waddoups (R-Salt Lake) will be sponsoring a bill in the 2008 legislative session that would ban internet hunting in the state of Utah.
Briefly, internet hunting uses computer technology to allow people to kill large game and exotic animals from their own homes. The practice began in San Antonio, TX, when an individual launched a website called LIVE-SHOT.COM. Customers would sign up online and pay about $1500 to shoot an animal via a weapon mounted on a mechanized tripod located at a game ranch simply by using their computer mouse. When the animal was lured to the appropriate place, the customer would use a computer to line up the crosshairs, click the mouse, and the rifle would fire. The trophy was then stuffed, mounted, and shipped to the customer.
The Texas legislature promptly passed a law and shut the site down, and the practice of internet hunting is now specifically banned in 34 states. Even pro-hunting groups like the National Rifle Association and Safari Club International are opposed to it on the grounds that it does not involve what is commonly knows as "fair chase."
At this point, there is no internet hunting in Utah or anywhere else in America. People may ask what the purpose is in proposing a law against a problem that doesn't exist. The answer is that the potential is a very real threat, particularly here with our large rural expanses. Says HSU Executive Director Gene Baierschmidt, "Right now, anyone in Utah could set up an internet hunting website. We want to follow the lead of the other legislatures who have taken steps to prevent that from happening. We'd like to become the 35th state to have this safeguard in place."
The Humane Society is hoping that eventually a federal ban will be in effect nationwide, but until that occurs, we very much appreciate Sen. Waddoups's foresight in sponsoring this legislation. "Laws are a lot like medicine," says Mr. Baierschmidt. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." |