While the California Senate passed two anti-gun bills on Monday, no action has yet been taken on Senate Bill 1221, although it could still be brought up for a vote anytime this week.
Introduced by state Sen. Ted Lieu (D-28), SB 1221 would ban hunting bears and bobcats with dogs. Hunting with dogs is a tradition that continues to be practiced across the country. Many dog breeds with select characteristics for hunting can be traced back for thousands of years. Seventeen states allow bear hunting with dogs. The use of hounds for hunting has never been shown to have an adverse impact on wildlife numbers, as biologists and wildlife experts direct regulations and bag limits just as they do with other hunting seasons.
SB 1221 is supported by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)—the nation’s largest anti-hunting group that supports bans on all hunting, with or without dogs. HSUS president Wayne Pacelle has been quoted as saying: “We are going to use the ballot box and the democratic process to stop all hunting in the United States ... We will take it species by species until all hunting is stopped in California. Then we will take it state by state.”
In 2003, HSUS unsuccessfully championed California Assembly Bill 342 that would have banned all hunting with hounds. They now seem to be taking a deceptive and incremental approach to accomplish the same goal via SB 1221. Don’t let anti-hunting extremists remove another traditional form of hunting.
If SB 1221 passes the Senate, it would go to the State Assembly and then on to the governor.
Please continue to call AND e-mail your state Senator to OPPOSE SB 1221. Contact information for your state senator can be found here.
