We know what we’d call it ..
City Watch reports
On July 4, 2022, we posed the question: “Cockfighting: Will It Soon Become Legal In The U.S.?” based on the introduction of two bills (HB 2332) and (SB 1006) in the Oklahoma legislature to reduce the state penalties relating to animal fighting (not limited to roosters) by decriminalizing “possession and training of fighting animals.”
Cockfighting is the brutal, atavistic death sport that involves placing two or more roosters (fighting cocks) with sharp knives attached to their feet in a ring to fight for their lives or be killed during matches, on which bets are often made as to which of the birds will survive.
However, Oklahoma State Rep. Justin Humphrey, author of HB 2332 (now HB 2530), and Sen. Lonnie Paxton, author of SB 1006, want to decriminalize cockfighting as part of Oklahoma’s criminal justice reform efforts, basing the change on “seeking parity with reduction in punishment for other crimes.”
Both bills passed out of committees, and HB 2530 is eligible to be considered on the House floor.
Passage of HB 2530 would place Oklahoma in violation of the U.S. Congress prohibition on blood sports in the U.S. and all its territories, which was passed in 2018.
These measures would gut the Oklahoma Ban on Cockfighting Act, aka, State Question 687, which was passed by voters on the Nov. 5, 2002, ballot, making it illegal to hold or encourage a cockfight, train birds for fighting, be a fight spectator, keep birds for fighting purposes, have equipment or facilities for training or handling or fighting the birds, with cockfighting defined as a fight between birds, whether or not fitted with prosthetic weapons, and whether or not bets or wagers take place.
HOW THESE BILLS WOULD CHANGE CURRENT OKLAHOMA LAW
SB 1006 passed in Committee and would allow voters in counties to vote to reduce the crime of cockfighting to a misdemeanor.
HB 2530, would also make the crime of cockfighting a misdemeanor.
In Oklahoma, cockfighting is currently a felony punishable with up to 10 years in prison and up to $25,000 in fines. But these “justice reform” measures would allow county-by-county elections to decide the issue. And, only five percent of a county’s voters, or the majority of the county’s commissioners, may call for a special election in any county.
It is currently also a felony to buy, sell, deliver, or possess any bird for cockfighting. If passed, cockfighting violations would be reduced from felonies to misdemeanors, with maximum fines of $500 for animal cruelty violations.
According to the Journal Record, Rep. Humphrey commented, “In my area I’ve gotten much more support. They’re raising them as game breed stock. We’re talking about really an economic impact. Changing the law would keep legitimate game fowl breeders out of jail and pump more money into rural Oklahoma’s economy,” he stressed.
He also told the Journal Record, “Drugs like methamphetamine, heroin, and fentanyl have killed hundreds of Oklahomans, but possession results in only a misdemeanor,” he said, “meanwhile, fighting chickens continues to be a felony.”
“How many people have died from chicken fighting?,” he asked.
(Actually, as recently as October 2020, a police officer in the Philippines was killed by a gaff that was still on a rooster as law enforcement officers attempted to stop a cockfighting event, according to the New York Post.
The sharp blade severed the femoral artery in Lieutenant Christine Bolok’s thigh and it was later believed to have been coated with poison.
Officers attempted unsuccessfully to stop the bleeding with a cloth used as a tourniquet, but reports say it may have been applied “in the wrong spot.”)
ANIMAL WELLNESS ACTION GROUP OPPOSES THESE CHANGES
The national organization, Animal Wellness Action (AWA), says the U.S. is the breeding ground for the global cockfighting industry, generating billions of dollars in economic activity, primarily due to betting, event entry fees, and the sale of fighting animals sold mainly via online marketing and videos, some for as high as $2k per bird.
AWA has tagged Oklahoma as the “Cockfighting Capital of the U.S.,” claiming the birds are often raised on gamecock farms—including Oklahoma farms—trained to fight, and shipped globally, creating an even greater market for fighting animals and paraphernalia. AWA claims, according to its research, fighting birds are shipped from Oklahoma in boxes via the U.S. Postal Service.
“Cockfighting is inhumane, barbaric,” said Wayne Pacelle, President of Animal Wellness Action Group, in a recent media release.
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