BOSTON (AP) — A bill filed on Beacon Hill is aiming to toughen state laws against wildlife poaching, some of which haven’t been updated in decades.
The bill would increase penalties for illegal activities such as shooting animals in a wildlife sanctuary, shooting wildlife from a car and hunting while under the influence of alcohol.
It also brings Massachusetts into the Interstate Wildlife Violator Compact, which prevents those who’ve lost their hunting licenses in one state from crossing state lines to continue hunting in another state.
Massachusetts is one of only seven states that is not a member of the compact.
Supporters of the bill, including the Humane Society of the United States, say some of Massachusetts’ poaching penalties are among the weakest in the country and have remained unchanged since the 1930s.
Yep take criminal activity with guns out on hunters. Like this has any priority in real HUMAN life with all the problems this State and Country Face.
To level the playing field, we should make guns available to the animals so they can defend themselves.