Recently there have been two reports on the elimination of animal fighting in South Carolina: the first was regarding a federal and state coordinated investigation where over twenty people involved in cockfighting in Lexington and Williamsburg Counties were indicted. The second was the arrest of six men for cockfighting in Spartanburg County where over twenty-three animals were seized, but ultimately had to be put down.
These two separate incidents illustrate that law enforcement has taken a serious look at ending animal fighting, yet highlights the lack of deterrence South Carolina’s weak animal fighting laws have had on this egregious practice.
Unbelievably, cockfighting is still a misdemeanor in South Carolina, with fines that are on par with traffic tickets. The weak penalties we impose in South Carolina are nothing but the “cost of doing business”, as one cockfighter testified before a House committee some time ago, when stronger penalties were being considered. Thus the reason I have sponsored legislation to make this barbaric practice a felony – to prevent our state from becoming the cockfighting capital of the East Coast. Regrettably, based on this mindset and arrests it appears that our state has already earned such a notorious label.
Thirty-nine other states have made cockfighting a felony offense – their legislatures recognizing that this practice has no place in civilized society. These states have acknowledged that the violent sport that was once considered a part of our proud heritage has now morphed into a magnet for drugs, gambling, gangs and violence.
Do not take my word for it. My efforts in the past to eliminate animal fighting from our state have been endorsed by a number of reputable organizations that recognize the real threat it brings to our doorsteps.
These organizations have included SC CrimeStoppers, the SC Sherriff’s Association, the SC Association of Veterinarians, the Palmetto Agribusiness Council, the SC Poultry Federation, the Palmetto Family Council, the Office of the Attorney General, the Humane Society of the United States and a number of others that have acknowledged the actual damage animal fighting and organized crime can inflict. If the Michael Vick dog fighting episode has taught us anything it is that the simple “just a bunch good ole boys” argument we hear repeatedly when discussing animal fighting at the statehouse is just a ruse. Animal fighting is now big business for organized crime and poses a serious threat to our families and our communities.
I am writing this piece to invite you to help me convince my colleagues of this important effort by writing, calling and emailing your elected officials to make sure they understand the importance of banning this practice to you and your family. Disappointingly, South Carolina will be the last state on the East Coast to make cockfighting a felony. This has been due to a small number of legislators that remain sympathetic to the cockfighters, that view this practice for what it was, not what I and virtually all of law enforcement have seen it become.
If you do advocate for this bill’s passage, do not be fooled by the “concerns about how this bill will impact farmers” argument, because I have made certain that nothing in this bill will harm agriculture. In fact, I have written language to make certain that traditional farming and agricultural practices are protected in every way.
Next year I will renew my efforts to rid our state of this barbarism, and I am asking for your help. I am here because, as a new father, I feel that I owe it to my child, my community, my state, and to your families to eliminate what I believe is a serious threat that continues to grow in this State due to our weak laws.
-Murrell Smith represents House District 67 (Sumter and Clarendon Counties). He is an attorney in Sumter.
