"Killing animals over the Internet is about as sporting as shooting fish in a barrel and it ought to bother animal lovers and true hunters everywhere," said Bowen. "It takes absolutely zero hunting skill to log onto a web site and click a computer mouse to kill an animal."
An Internet hunting site sets up rifles near waterholes or wildlife feeders and connects them to video cameras that allow cyberspace "hunters" to watch their computer screen until they spot a target. The "hunter" then uses their computer to line up the rifle and fire a shot. One person in Texas has received national attention for being the first remote-assisted hunting operation to be open for business at www.live-shot.com.
SB 1028 bans shooting at or killing any animal over the Internet, bans anyone from operating a business for the purpose of shooting live animals online and makes it illegal to import animals into California that were killed via the Internet. Anyone found guilty of violating the law could be sent to jail for up to six months and be fined up to $1,000.
Eight other states have enacted bans similar to SB 1028 and ten others are considering comparable measures. Earlier this year, Congressman Tom Davis (R-Virginia) introduced H.R. 1558 to outlaw Internet hunting nationwide. Under that measure, violators could be punished by up to five years in prison. The legislation has been assigned to the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security, but has yet to be heard.
SB 1028 is supported by the Humane Society of the United States, Action For Animals, the Animal Protection Institute, Safari Club International, the Outdoor Sportsmen's Coalition of California, the California Sportsman's Lobby, the California Rifle & Pistol Association, and the California Fish & Game Commission.
The measure passed the Assembly 72-0 on August 18. Governor Schwarzenegger now has until October 9 to sign, veto, or allow the bill to become law without his signature.
