OK: Lawmaker Introduces Bill To Legalize Shooting Pets

A bill has recently been introduced a by an Oklahoma legislator that allows pet-owners to “dispose” of animals by shooting them. State Representative Steve Martin sponsored the bill. He believes that the new measures put forth in HB 2613 are an effective solution for “euthanasia” practices already in place throughout the state.

“Euthanizing your own animal with a firearm in Oklahoma is done all the time,” Representative Martin said. “People have animals that, for one reason or another, they’re either sick or old or for some reason, not suitable to go to a new home, and it is as painless to euthanize an animal with a firearm, if it’s done humanely, as any other method.”

Current protections mandate that pets can only be shot in cases of self-defense or defense of livestock. But HB 2613 would remove that requirement. It would also not mandate that pet-owners to seek alternatives to shooting pets. If a pet owner wants to shoot an animal under their care, they would be allowed to.

The bill also seeks to reduce the penalties for a number of animal cruelty crimes. This includes laws against animal neglect.

Cynthia Armstrong is the director of the Oklahoma Humane Society. When asked about bill, she said that it is likely to lead to a number of unforeseen problems.

“What if somebody tries to shoot an animal with a gun and kill it with one shot but they miss, or the animal moves?” Armstrong said in an interview with News OK. “The unintended consequences of what he’s doing are greater than a ‘problem’ [Martin] is trying to solve.”

(Article by M.B. David)
By MBD February 27, 2014
Lawmaker Introduces Bill To Legalize Shooting Pets : Political Blind Spot