Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Dog-fighting bill passes.

The fight to stop dog-fighting in Mississippi won a victory yesterday when the legislature approved a bill that will increase the maximum penalties for the crime.  However, the bill was a weaker version of the one that originally passed the Senate.  Mississippi will still have the weakest dog-fighting penalties compared to its neighboring states.

The bill kept the maximum fine at $5,000 but increased the maximum prison sentence from three to five years upon the first conviction.  A second conviction will have a maximum fine of $10,000.  The prison sentence will range from three to ten years.

 Senator Bob Dearing (D-Rosalie) introduced the bill as he has tried to toughen the penalties for dog-fighting for quite some time.  His bill increases the maximum fine to $10,000 and the maximum prison sentence to ten years.  The Senate passed his bill but the House watered down the bill's penalties and introduced tougher ones for subsequent offenses.  The bill now went to a conference committee.   The committee passed a bill that was closer to the House version than the Senate version.  The end result is that the maximum prison sentence will increase two years for a first-offense conviction.

Posted below are the legislators who did not vote for the bill. 

Representatives: Williams-Barnes, Bomgar,  Faulkner, Jackson, Young.  Evans and Hudson voted present.  Myers, Pigott, Shirley, Sullivan, and Willis were either absent or did not vote.

Senators: Blackmon, Norwood, Simmons, D.T.  Horhn and Turner-Ford voted present.

The bill awaits the Governor's signature.   Copy of bill and it's history.





Kingfish note: Here are the penalties for surrounding states.  As usual, Mississippi will still have the weakest laws.  Senator Dearing said this disparity encourage dog fighters to operate in Mississippi.  A different form of disparate impact and probably not the kind of disparate impact Senator Blackmon has in mind when that term is used. 

Louisiana: "shall be fined not less than one thousand dollars nor more than twenty-five thousand dollars, or or be imprisoned with or without hard labor for not less than one year nor more than ten years, or both" (RS 14:102.5)
Alabama: Class C Felony.  Prison sentence is one to ten years. 
Arkansas: Class D Felony.  Maximum prison sentence is six years.  Maximum fine is $10,000.
Tennessee: Class E Felony. Maximum prison sentence if six years.  Maximum fine is $3,000.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

We all know what's up with Blackmon protecting dog fighters, but, Bomgar's vote is baffling.

Anonymous said...

Now if they could just do something about the trifling idiots who go out and buy pit bulls and let them roam the streets of west and south Jackson. They buy the dogs so they can walk a "bad" dog and claim that they are breeding them. Next thing you know there are mongrels all over the place. Some have even terrorized the poor "wild" animals in the Jackson Zoo! Yet if these dogs attack you or me they have no insurance and no liability.

Anonymous said...

Two words. FARM. BUREAU.

Anonymous said...

Woof!

Anonymous said...

we need to ban hunting with dogs in Mississippi, it is cruel, inhumane, and the dogs are killed if they don't measure up. Hunting has taken a nose dive and this last bastion of redneck memorabilia needs to be totally done away with once a for all.

Louis LeFleur said...

It's about progress, not perfection. I'll take process, even if shaking my head in the process.

Anonymous said...

I, too, would like to know Bomgar's reasoning.

Anonymous said...

Louis...I hope you are proud of that puzzling post regarding process and progress. When you recover from the giggles, perhaps you can explain it.

Anonymous said...

Bomgar will adjust his orange tie and post an explanation that is nonsense.

Anonymous said...

@1:47 et al,

Could it possibly be a Southern Farm Bureau connection?

Anonymous said...

Who cares about dog fighting? Is it undesirable? Sure. But I would rather see our legislature work on big reforms to shake up state government. So much money is wasted on antiquated systems that are no longer needed. Oh well, I guess I am expecting too much out of Mississippi.

Anonymous said...

9:56
Perhaps you should do some research on the connection between dog fighting and the abuse of humans and other illegal activity. There is a clear pathway between the two. Dog fighting might not be a big issue to you, but it's a huge issue for most of society.

From the Humane Society:
"Over the years, law enforcement raids have unearthed many disturbing facets of this illegal bloodsport. Young children are often present at these events, which promotes insensitivity to animal suffering, enthusiasm for violence, and disrespect for the law. Illegal gambling is commonplace at dogfights, with wagers of thousands of dollars at stake. This profitability makes dogfighting commonplace in organized crime settings as well as the streets.
The sale and use of illegal drugs is common at dogfights as well, and firearms and other weapons have been found at these events due to the large amounts of cash present. Dogfighting has also been connected to other kinds of violence — even homicide."

Anonymous said...

@1:59 - I'm sure they were all drinking beer and smoking cigarettes too. Let's ban those.



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