Sneaky b*stards

Didn’t start the week intending to concentrate on dogs, but here we are. Although this also speaks to gun control.

The Farm Bill: Big piece of legislation awaiting Congress when they return from their well-deserved taxpayer-funded vacation. (Side note – anyone see where Trump told a farmer’s group that:

“We love the American farmer,” the president said. “I just gave you 12 billion dollars. I don’t know if you know that or not. You make enough money. It doesn’t matter to you, right?”

While plenty of cheers could be heard after “12 billion dollars,” the crowd went largely silent after “you make enough money”  Dakota Free Press

I believe whether he thought he was joking or not, that is the definition of “tone deaf”.) Not every joke works.

Back to the Farm Bill.

It contains funding and sets policy on items ranging from conservation programs valued by American sportsmen to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits that help feed low-income families.

So far, so good, right?

Committee Democrats teamed up with a handful of Republican legislators to amend the Farm Bill by inserting House Bill 5017, the Greyhound Protection Act of 2025 — a bill that had no chance of advancing on its own.

I’m sure you’ve seen the articles on the mistreatment of dog racers after they retire – it ain’t pretty. So the bill sounds okay.

While H.R.5017 was completely portrayed by the sponsor and supporters as only focused on ending commercial greyhound racing, the language is much more broadly written and would ban the use of sight hounds in hunting. Additionally, the language included in H.R.5017 could go so far to impact anyone that hunts with bird dogs or scent hounds by banning the use of live animals in dog training. Amendment supporters never told committee members of the broader impacts of the bill.

Animal-rights extremists, with the help of members of the House Agriculture Committee, inserted the controversial language into the Farm Bill by voice vote, despite concerns expressed by Committee Chairman GT Thompson, with no public debate or an opportunity for American hunters or houndsmen to be heard in the process. The extremists know the public is counting on passage of the Farm Bill, so they are hoping Congress will allow the anti-hunting language to remain in the bill rather than derail the huge and vital legislation.  Buckeye Firearms

Ever seen a good bird dog on point? Ever seen a good hunting dog seem to almost read your mind? Never again if we let them get away with this over-broad mess. If it’s to protect racing Greyhounds, fine, narrow it down to focus on them. Congress.gov  How often have we seen “oh, no one would ever try to stretch the law to do THAT” turn into exactly what they do.

Luckily the bill is going back to the House Rules committee before it goes to the full House and Senate votes. Sounds like a very good time to drop a line to your elected reps to let them know you oppose this.

As always, it’s always about control – and the controllers, like rust, never sleep.

Category: Guns, Politics