dawgdude;331759 wrote: You are a member but you are not acting for the organization if that makes sense. Legally, no this would not apply.
Exactly. A Club-Sanctioned/Organized swap might be exempt, but the current practice of folks meeting up and exchanging stuff (which personally, I have no problem with) would become illegal.
While I surmise that the intent of the legislation would be to stop the sale of Red Eared Sliders (turtles) at flea markets, and backyard puppy mills selling at flea markets and the like - all of which should be addressed somehow - it is a bit too broad for my taste.
Since in most states, pet dealers and farmers and other businesses that deal in livestock fall under the inspection of the state's agriculture department or equivalent, it would prevent some questionable "businesses" from flying under the radar, and would hold them to the standards that we legitimate pet dealers must adhere to - like I said, to that end, I agree - however, once again, broad legislation tars everyone with the same brush.
Heck when I adopted my dog from a local rescue, I met up with the rescue owner in the parking lot of a restaurant to sign the paperwork and pick up the pooch - that would be illegal now. She was on her way to do an adoption at a local Petsmart, and I sneaked out of work for a few minutes instead of driving 10 miles to do our thing - we met a mile or two from the shop. That would be a big no-no anymore... even though we'd already had lengthy communication before the hand-off/paper signing was done.
Seems odd that suddenly there are all these animal-related bills coming up. As I mentioned in reference to HR669, I've seen this sort of thing come and go over the years, but people seem to be more aware, and more fired up this time around. I don't know if the proposed bills have more lobbyists behind them this time around, or what - but there's more fear that some of them will actually pass, than there has been in the last several years, and I'm not sure why that is.
In the past, in industry circles we'd see somebody mention some bill that was ridiculous, we'd all grumble and roll our eyes, some would probably make a phone call or write a letter, then the thing would die on the first reading and life went on. Not anymore. People are speaking out - which is a good thing, they are talking about it, and contacting the appropriate representatives about it. That too, IMO is a good thing. If we just sit back and put our heads in the sand, ludicrous stuff like this might pass, and it will affect us all one way or another.
Obviously for those of us directly involved in the pet trade, it can mean our livelihood, but even for hobbyists and enthusiasts, it can affect or even put you out of a hobby.
Jenn
geez.. i am for control of illegal animal trades and people buying animals they can't keep but sometimes the government goes a little over board with things like this... besides buying or trading corals from other people is sometimes easier especially if a LFS can't or is having a hard time getting a specimen.