The scenes are awful. So-called “sportsmen,” not content to knock down clay pigeons, blow real live birds released from cages to smithereens. The carcasses — some just wounded and still struggling — pile up like trash in a landfill.
It’s hard to believe anyone participates in this “sport,” and even harder to believe any state allows it — but Pennsylvania does, and shooters come from all over the United States to sate their bloodlust at a handful of private gun clubs that do this for profit. The club managers and shooters are an unruly bunch. They’ve tried to hit protesters with their cars, and have also pulled guns on them (claiming self-defense, of course).
Every legislative session in Pennsylvania sees renewed attempts to outlaw live pigeon shoots in the last place where they’re still allowed in the United States (even hunter-friendly states like Alaska, Idaho, Texas, and Wyoming don’t permit this). Last fall, the state senate voted 36-12 for a bill that would prohibit it, but Republicans blocked it in the state house, saying it takes away “gun rights.” What rights do these birds have? Only the “right” to die grisly, bloody, painful deaths. The same bill would also outlaw selling or serving dog and cat meat for human consumption, which also is still legal in Pennsylvania. So if your pet goes missing, you might not want to eat out for a while.
Warning: Graphic video