A Bensalem Township gun club is still arranging the contentious practice at its location along the Delaware River, as a bill from a Bucks County lawmaker to ban live pigeon shooting in Pennsylvania moves closer to being fully approved.
State Rep. Perry Warren’s bill was recently approved by the House Judiciary Committee and is waiting for full approval. If passed, the change would add live pigeon shooting to the state’s criminal code.
Warren, representing Upper and Lower Makefield townships, Yardley Borough, Newtown Township and Newtown Borough, stated, “Pennsylvania has already banned dog fighting, cock fighting and greyhound racing. In 2017, it even made it illegal to possess the tools to raise or train an animal for the purpose of betting on its death. Yet, live pigeon shooting is still exempt from Pennsylvania's animal cruelty law.”
Supporters of animal rights, such as Heidi Prescott, senior vice president of the Humane Society of the United States, have long criticized the practice.
“Use clay targets, not pigeons,” she suggested.
The Philadelphia Gun Club, located at 3051 State Rd., Bensalem site along the Delaware River, hosts the only live pigeon shooting event in Bucks County several times a year. This controversial but legal practice involves raising captive birds exclusively to be shot in competitions. Critics argue that the events provide little sport and are at odds with traditional hunting. Injured birds are often left to endure suffering before eventually dying.
A representative of the Philadelphia Gun Club was unavailable for comment. However, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network organization reported that the club has been using its site for 132 years.
“The club holds at least 12 regular, day-long trap shoot meets for its members each year,” the organization stated.
The bipartisan H.B. 2139 does not affect “fair chase” hunting and training activities, nor does it infringe upon Second Amendment rights, according to a judiciary committee staff analyst.
Warren stated that the bill is long overdue in Pennsylvania.
“It is well past time for our commonwealth to finally put an end to events that gamble on the lives of animals by banning live pigeon shooting,” he commented.
