Does the NRA support puppy mills?
That's the question asked earlier this year by Miami Herald general assignment reporter Ellie Brecher in the newspaper's blog Crazy for Critters citing the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS):
The Humane Society writes:
The National Rifle Association says it's about defense of the Second Amendment. But more and more, it's about doing harm to man's best friend.
In the 2009 legislation session, the gun group has been going state to state setting its sights on public policies that would crack down on abusive puppy mills. They actively lobbied against an Arizona bill requiring that puppy mill producers are subject to inspections by county enforcement agents at any time during regular business hours. They are working hard in Indiana and Minnesota to derail bills that would limit the number of dogs confined in puppy mill cages and set basic standards of care for exercise, flooring, and veterinary treatment. The Arizona and Minnesota bills have been shelved, and an NRA-backed amendment would gut Indiana's legislation.It's a mystery why the NRA cares so much about defending the status quo when it comes to puppy mills. It can't be a core issue for gun owners. The NRA claims that the puppy mill bills would impact hunting dogs, but surely most sportsmen would want their dogs raised humanely by responsible breeders, not treated like a cash crop. A dog who lives in a filthy wire cage with no exercise, socialization, or human interaction might not end up being a very good hunting partner out in the field, after all.
It may just be that the NRA has a knee-jerk opposition to any animal protection issue, no matter how modest or common-sense.
Not so fast there. Think about it. We already license and register dogs. So how much longer will it be before we face total dog confiscation? Well, according to the NRA, if the anti-freedom, er, anti-puppy mill lobby has its way, not long. Not long at all.
In a July 2009 alert to its members about a puppy mill bill (SB 460) it eventually derailed in North Carolina, the NRA displays the leaden efficiency of using a time-proven template to combat regulation. Any type of regulation. Guns. Dogs. You name it. In the text below, just replace "dog breeder" with "gun dealer." Or "gun show promoter." Or "gun manufacturer." It may sound a little, well, familiar.
SB 460 requires "commercial dog breeders" to be licensed, then subject to regulations and inspections. But if you operate a facility that has "overcrowded and cruel" conditions, you likely know this is the case, and simply would not apply for a license. No license means no regulations and no periodic inspections. In other words, the same laws that are currently on the books to target true animal cruelty are the only ones that would apply to investigating an unlicensed "commercial dog breeder."
On the other hand, those responsible dog breeders (which are the vast majority of them) that do comply with the licensing requirement, should SB 460 become law, may find themselves regulated out of business. The bill states that certain standards must be met, but does not spell them out. Instead, it allows a bureaucratic rules process for setting the standards, using vague, subjective terms for stating what those standards will be. The terms 'adequate' and 'appropriate' are used, which have widely different meanings, depending on the application and who is doing the applying. You can bet HSUS [Humane Society of the United States] operatives will try to influence the rules process to implement the most draconian rules possible in order to promote its anti-breeder agenda.
And to finish out the exercise, just replace Humane Society of the United States with "Obama" or "gun control."
Talk about crazy critters.
Michael R. Bloomberg: Gun Show Undercover
New York City sent investigators with hidden cameras to seven gun shows across Ohio, Tennessee and Nevada, and we found out just how easy it is for criminals and the mentally ill to walk in and buy guns -- no questions asked.
Andy Borowitz: Man with Stethoscope Arrested at Gun Show
Tracy Klugian, 42, was being questioned by police, who suspect he might have been trying to disrupt the gun show with an impromptu discussion of national health care reform.
People have these things called rights and privileges. Some may generalize them as liberties.
There are groups dedicated to defending these liberties.
These groups often oppose seemingly harmless legislation that creates bureaucratic agencies with very broad discretion that could potentially infringe on those liberties.
Consider yourself educated.
The problem with the North Carolina bill was that it imposed registration and licensing requirements, but didn't actually do anything to address abusive treatment of animals. So, a small dog breeder faces a potential fine if it doesn't get licensed under the statute (even if the breeder doesn't know about the statute), but a large, abusvie, corner-cutting commercial operator who DOES register...is "legal."
This is why the American Veterinary Medicine Association and the American Kennel Club were among the lobbying groups -- including the NRA -- who opposed the bill. The AKC and the AVMA do not hate puppies -- quite the opposite.
My Mom is a veterinarian who was involved in prosecuting a puppy mill in Washington state several years ago. She provided expert testimony to show that the animals were abused. She also helped place a number fo the dogs in home. This is because she is not a HSUS/PETA extremist who thinks that dogs are oppressed because they are domesticated. HSUS -- a MUCH more accurate term than "Humane Society" -- is the organization that lied and raised funds by saying it would place the Vick dogs in homes, but then recommended that they be euthanized instead.
Old SF MJT
the NRA supports puppy mills about as much as the AKC does. Who by the way, is also against this legislation. But be sure to leave that little fact out of your story, will ya...
The legislation was baddly written and effected just about everyone except the scum bag puppy mills.
"No freeman shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
-Thomas Jefferson
One can go to the HSUS website and download their IRS filings and financial reports. The mission of HSUS is not so much to provide direct services to animals--their primary mission is to influence legislation (or lobby) for standards and legal protections for animals.
As a charity, they receive the highest rating from independent charity ratings organizations.
Much of ETBmfa's "info" is lifted from a group called "consumerfreedom."
The Center for Consumer Freedom provides no financial data; in fact, they don't even list who works for them or who their leadership is.
http://www.consumerdeception.com/
According to multiple sources, Consumer Freedom is a front group for the alcohol and tobacco industries. They rail against PETA (and HSUS) but also have attacked MADD for pushing for lower BAC limits for drivers.
i don't know where you live josh but my dogs are not licensed or registered with any agency.....when are you coming to arrest me...let me know and i will kill a goat and we can have barbecue.......and why are you afraid of actual conversation as opposed to rhetoric......
Photo of dog with gun to his head is from early National Lampoon Cover with the words, "If you don't buy this issue we'll shoot the dog."
- must read for NRA membership
sorry, article has nothing to do with puppies
its about the long term consequences for registered gun owners who discharge their weapons under justifiable circumstances
We all know that in Britain, Canada, Australia, registration led to confiscation, even though those governments promised they wouldn't.
Vladimir Lenin : "A system of licensing and registration is the perfect device
to deny gun ownership to the bourgeoisie."
This is the ultimate goal, gun confiscation by the left...
And you prove with your commentary that they are wise to arm themselves.
When you're done with that, have a look at "irony."
Why would we turn on each other when we could instead band together and shoot the ones trying to stuff us into a cage?
Or are you in agreement with Kelli when she stated that the Jews who stood up to Hitler in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising were wrong to defend themselves against the Nazis?
Just wondering.
Face the fact that anti gun people will never like pro gun people and just leave it at that...... Evryone is going to interpret things the way THEY want them to be.......