Federal Python BAN

[Skiploder]

Question:
Is there any use in someone who is NOT from Virginia writing in to oppose a Virginia ban?

(Nebraska had a restrictive bill come up here, but thanks to the concerted efforts of the Nebraska Herp Society and some other interests, we won, and it did not pass).

My concern is that getting a bunch of letters from non-residents would be as likely to do more harm than good, but I don't know for certain how that is viewed, which is why I am asking.

You should talk to the California Association of Swap Meets and the Golden State Coral Frag Society.

A few years ago we were facing some legislation in California regarding selling pets at meets, swaps and expos.

USARK and the forum geniuses seemed more interested in other esoteric pursuits, as in figuring out how the punnet square works when you breed a fudge dingleberry het for corn to a tae-bo cougar pied.

The local reptile groups out here soon found out from our State Assembly Reps. that the powerful Swap Meet and Coral Frag Societies fought the good fight and forced in the provisions that ended up protecting the Mighty Reptile Nation.

Maybe the good folks of Virginia can recruit the fraggers and the swappers to help them out. My experience with the Reptile Nation leads me to believe that we need a lot of help with these sort of things.

The other thing you can do is start getting it through people's heads that signing on line petitions regarding the USFWS rule amendment is an abjectly pathetic exercise in idiocy. Efforts need to be focused on reaching out to the various exotic pet societies in the State of Virginia to get them to band together as a unified front against this legislation.

That should include local pet stores, chain pet stores, and the pet supply manufacturers. Someone also needs to keep an eye on USARK to see if they offer up their "model" legislation as a compromise - self-imposed permits and protocols in lieu of outright bans.