While the bill signed by President Trump making animal cruelty a felony nationwide is being touted a big win in the fight against animal cruelty, the bill (and now law) isn’t what most people think.
Below is the copy and paste from congress.gov that brings more clarity to the new law. This is a long read but it’s necessary to understand just what happened.
Shown Here:
Public Law No: 111-294 (12/09/2010)
Animal Crush Video Prohibition Act of 2010 – Amends the federal criminal code to revise the prohibition against depictions of animal cruelty to prohibit anyone from knowingly creating an animal crush video if: (1) such person intends or has reason to know that such video will be distributed in, or using a means or facility of, interstate or foreign commerce; or (2) such video is distributed in, or using a means or facility of, interstate or foreign commerce. Prohibits the sale, marketing, exchange, or distribution of such videos in interstate or foreign commerce.Defines “animal crush video” as any photograph, motion picture, film, video or digital recording, or electronic image that: (1) depicts actual conduct in which one or more living non-human mammals, birds, reptiles, or amphibians is intentionally crushed, burned, drowned, suffocated, impaled, or otherwise subjected to serious bodily injury; and (2) is obscene.
Extends the applicability of this Act to a person selling, marketing, advertising, exchanging, distributing, or creating animal crush videos outside the United States if: (1) such person intends or has reason to know that the animal crush video will be transported into the United States or its territories or possessions; or (2) the video is so transported. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to seven years for violations of this Act.
Exempts from the application of this Act: (1) any visual depiction of customary and normal veterinary or agricultural husbandry practices, the slaughter of animals for food, or hunting, trapping, or fishing; and (2) good faith distribution of an animal crush video to a law enforcement agency or a third party for the sole purpose of determining if referral to a law enforcement agency is appropriate.
Provides for compliance of the budgetary effects of this Act with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
Credit to the bill should go to Congressman Vern Buchanan, Congressman Ted Deutch, and Senator Pat Toomey, as well as all who worked behind the scenes to get the bill written and passed.
The bill went unopposed through the house and senate for President Trump to sign. While it IS a step in the right direction, it’s up to each state to determine what animal cruelty is and it’s likely any president would have done the same thing since both the house and senate put the bill through.
A lot of people are overly excited over the new law, just be aware there’s still a long way to go as far as animal rights are concerned and it continues to be up to animal advocates to push government representatives to create laws that actually punish abusers of ALL abuse and NOT just give them a slap on the wrist!
Please feel free to add anything I left out in the comment section below as well as expand on what the new law actually covers.
