A Florida lawmaker is seeking looser regulations on killing wildlife, claiming black bears high on crack are ravaging people’s homes.
“We’re talking about the ones that are on crack and they break your door down and they’re standing in your living room growling and tearing your house apart,” Jason Shoaf — whose biography describes him as a passionate hunter — told the Florida Legislature’s House Infrastructure Strategies Committee while discussing his House bill 87, Taking of Bears. According to The Guardian, the bill would remove most penalties for killing bears without authorization.
“When you run into one of these crack bears, you should be able to shoot it, period. And you shouldn’t have to pause or be afraid you’re gonna get arrested or harassed or pay fines. That’s just crazy,” he adds.
The Guardian was unable to find a documented incident of any of Florida’s vast black bear population ingesting crack. Nevertheless, his argument appears to have convinced his Republican colleagues, who advanced the bill on party lines for a full House hearing.
However, opponents say the bill would allow people to kill bears even if no threat exists, then argue self-defense because they know the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission would no longer have the authority to investigate.