Yes, we are aware that some critics have disparaged
tougher penalties for cockfighting because, they say, lawmakers made the
bill a higher priority than a domestic violence bill. But it's still
important to lower the boom on cockfighting.
Other than political symbolism, the cockfighting bill bears little
relation to the criminal domestic violence bill -- except perhaps that
both would help address serious problems in this state. Under a bill
given key approval in the House last week, people involved in
cockfighting would face bigger fines or longer jail time.
For more than a century in South Carolina, this underground activity
has been a misdemeanor. The only punishment faced by its practitioners
has been a $100 fine or up to 30 days in jail, hardly a deterrent.
Under the House bill, a first offense, still a misdemeanor, would
carry a fine of $1,000 or up to a year in jail. Fines for a second
offense would rise to $3,000, with a possible jail sentence of up to
three years. A third offense of participating in an event where two
gamefowl fight would be a felony punishable by up to five years in
prison.
This is not a sport, at least not one condoned by most societies. It
has little to do with the traditional aspects of sport. It has a lot to
do with illicit gambling. Without the allure of betting on the birds,
cockfighting would disappear.
Cockfighting is banned in every state except Louisiana and New
Mexico. It is a felony in 31 states and a misdemeanor in 17.
It is appropriate that South Carolina join the majority of states in
taking this bloodthirsty endeavor more seriously.
