ANIMAL ACTIVISTS CONFRONT LAWMAKERS OVER PIGEON SHOOTS

Posted: Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Bills banning pigeon shoots were introduced into the state House and Senate last year. But they were never voted on.

Staff Writer

Some Pennsylvania lawmakers sworn into office in Harrisburg on Tuesday were also confronted by video images of injured and dying birds that were shot and strangled.

Graphic footage of live pigeon shoots, which had been held in Bensalem and other locations in Pennsylvania, was shown on a television placed by animal rights activists in the rotunda of the state Capitol building.

Members of the Illinois-based organization Showing Animals Respect and Kindness said they encountered no resistance from lawmakers on hand for the traditionally joyful ceremonies.

"A lot of people are ignoring it. Some people are jerks," SHARK President Steve Hindi said of the presentation. Videos produced by SHARK often contain images of birds, which were not immediately killed outright by the gun fire.

SHARK has been on a campaign to stop the shoots, which, it said, happen at a handful of places in Pennsylvania. The group said its Harrisburg presentation might not have been possible without the support of celebrity Bob Barker, who last year donated $1 million to SHARK's campaign.

Last year, two bills in the state Legislature sought to end the type of pigeon shoots that occur at Philadelphia Gun Club in Bensalem.

House Bill 1411 and Senate Bill 843 would prohibit shoots during which pigeons are released from a trap positioned in front of a shooter. Each bill was sent to a judiciary committee, where they never came to a vote. Each bill would have to be reintroduced this year for any action to occur.

The Senate version was locally sponsored by state Sens. Stewart Greenleaf, R-12, and Chuck McIlhinney, R-10. The House bill was locally sponsored by state Rep. Bernie O'Neill, R-29, and Tony Melio, who retired last year as state representative for the 141st district.

Other local lawmakers said they support a ban on pigeon shoots but aren't sure it would become law. State Rep. Steve Santarsiero, D-131, said the state's economic issues remain its top priority.

"Given what's been happening in the last two years with our state budget, the financial situation has been on the front burner for us," Santarsiero said.

"The lack of progress on this (pigeon) issue may not be an indication of a lack of support, but it may be that we have other things on our agenda. That's not to excuse it."

State Rep. Frank Farry, R-142, perceived a resistance to the bill from gun owners and hunters who "may fear this could be a slippery slope."

State Rep. Scott Petri, D-178, echoed those sentiments, too.

"It's opposed probably by a group that thinks this is an intrusion into the rights of individuals," Petri said. "I think the real issue for some people is whether it's an infringement on freedom. In the same way, why are you still allowed to text and drive in Pennsylvania and why aren't local officers allowed to use (speed gun) radar?"

Farry and Petri each also said they believe too few know about pigeon shoots.

"I think people in (Bucks) are more aware of it," Farry said. "If I didn't live here and I wasn't a state lawmaker, then I probably wouldn't know about it either."

SHARK hopes Tuesday's presentation brings more attention to the issue.

"Just embarrassing anybody isn't really the point," said Hindi. "Everything we're doing here is about stopping this practice. Good people make positive change and weak or bad people make excuses."

Hindi added that SHARK has nothing against hunting. "This is not the beginning of the end of hunting," he said. "We don't want that. Hunting is about a fair chance and hunters try to kill quickly."

Sportsmen at Philadelphia Gun Club in Bensalem said they continue a tradition of pigeon shoots for a club that has existed since 1877. An attorney for the club said they purchase birds that were previously trapped and scheduled for extermination anyway.