Support Pennsylvania Senate Bill 510 to Ban Live Pigeon Shoots

Originally Posted: March 9, 2013

Support Pennsylvania Senate Bill 510 to Ban Live Pigeon Shoots

FROM Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK)

ACTION

Tell Pennsylvanians to contact their State legislators to support Senate Bill SB 510 that will ban live pigeon shoots. Already, the lobbyist for the National Rifle Association is at work.

Find and contact your Pennsylvania State Legislator
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/index.cfm

INFORMATION / TALKING POINTS

Read the bill and see its current status
http://legiscan.com/PA/bill/SB510/2013

Specifically, the legislation would prohibit the use of live animals or fowl for target trap shoots and block shoots.  A trap shoot involves immediately launching a moving target and a block shoot involves a tethered or stationary target. An individual who willfully organizes, operates or conducts one of these shoots commits a summary offense. 

This legislation exempts all hunting or other activities authorized or permitted under Title 34 (Game Code) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes and under 58 Pa. Code CH. 147 (relating to special permits).  

This legislation will protect legitimate hunting activities in the Commonwealth but will also prevent the use of live animals or fowl for purely target practice activities. 

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This past Saturday, March 2, 2013, a day-long pigeon shoot was held at the Philadelphia Gun Club (PGC) in Bensalem, PA. SHARK was there the entire time.

The PGC property lies on the banks of the Delaware River, so we posted two boats to document the slaughter and to rescue the wounded who came within our reach. As in the past, gunshot hit us with alarming regularity. Also, as in the past, the police refused to do anything. Our call to the New Jersey State Police water patrol was handed over to the Bensalem Police, which is the same as calling the PGC's private security. In fact, the PGC actually has a retired Bensalem police officer working for their security detail.

What kind of political clout do the pigeon shoot degenerates have? Consider this - the Bensalem Police, the New Jersey State Police, and the US Coast Guard have all refused to enforce the law against people on a public way (the river) being shot! I'm not talking about being hit by stray shot once or twice, but dozens of times in a day!

This is a sad example of what our nation has become, wherein the authorities mainly exist to serve the wealthy and politically connected, while animals and "common citizens" are ignored.

For much of the day, one SHARK investigator legally stood on the PGC's shore, giving us an extra opportunity to rescue injured birds.

The slaughter was of course horrific. Wounded birds literally fell from the sky, slamming on the rocky shoreline, choking on their own blood as they died.

This pigeon fell from the sky, hit the rocks hard, and began to die, blood spitting from her mouth in her death throes.

Another victim of the pigeon shoot

An innocent bird that fell to her death on the rocks below the PGC shooting ground. All these birds suffered because a few people take pleasure from the mass slaughter of living beings.

We rescued seven wounded pigeons. Due to their wounds, and because of their emaciated condition even before the slaughter, two passed away that day. Two more died that night. Three, however, are still alive. Meet Faith, Pegasus and Shadow.

Faith

Pegasus

Shadow

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Thank you for everything you do for animals!

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