Calif. lawmakers look to ban Internet hunting

A new California bill would punish Internet hunters who shoot at targets by remotely operating rifles linked to video cameras. The measure, approved unanimously by an assembly committee on Tuesday, would ban shooting at or killing any animal over the Internet, forbid bringing animals slain via the Internet into the state, and penalize violators with up to six months of jail time and fines of up to $1,000.

Fourteen other states are weighing similar bans, and earlier this year, Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., introduced a House resolution that would outlaw Internet hunting nationwide and punish violators with up to five years in prison.

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More useless legislation

This is the most outrageous thing I think I've heard yet this year. Don't these legislators have anything better to do than pass laws that interfere with individual rights? Isn't there a budget crisis in California that these people should be concentrating on? Is hunting over the internet really such a problem?

I don't see how hunting over the internet would be as big a problem as to require legislation, especially an outright ban. This is not a popular thing and it is doubtful that it would ever achieve the popularity of traditional hunting. People who hunt nowadays do it for the sport. How is it sporting to sit in front of a computer and move a mouse to aim a gun? If that's what people want to do, most likely they will buy video games because it is less expensive. Almost no one depends on hunting to provide sustenance. Furthermore, the vast majority of Americans do not hunt at all.

This appears to be another knee-jerk reaction from the legislative world, similar to what happened when the Patriot act was passed. The bi-partisan support this is receiving is especially troubling and is another example of why we need to start electing people who are independant or from other political parties. Sometimes, I think it would be better if congresscritters would just sit on their hands and hum quietly to themselves when in session, rather than passing more needless regulations.

Right On!

I wish the legislators would spend MORE time taking care of the REAL business of the state and country and stop passing needless legislation (for all the reasons you stated) and voting themselves pay raises!

Alternate use possibility..

Use a camera aimed "rail gun". The new non-lethal weapon under developement and you might be able to use this effectively for border patrol.