The Lacey Act and recent ban (USA)

As many of you American's may have already heard, a week or two ago four pythons (North and south rock, yellow anaconda, and the Burmese python) were added to the Lacey Act and henceforth restricted from being sold and transported across state lines. Basically it freezes the sale and transport of these four species of snakes ACROSS STATE LINES. It is needed to be clarified here that these species are not OUTLAWED to own, breed, sell, or possess these species WITHIN YOUR STATE but only OUTLAWED across STATE LINES.

Here's an interview via HerpNation with Andrew Wyatt, president of USARK. I urge you, if you're able, to support the USARK (Americans only though); for you European's I urge you to support your EUARK. We as a nation need to come together against this infringement of our rights as reptile keepers!

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Thanks for the information kodie. While I personally feel that it is our god given constitutional right to buy, breed, sell, bartyr, trade or possess whatever our hearts desire, sometimes other factors should be looked at and considered the greater good. The lacey act, I believe, was originally enacted to stop the import of non-native invasive species that can decimate a habitat not intended to ever support them. The large exotic snakes such as anaconda, burmese, retic, etc. that are being targeted under this act are causing TONS of damage to the wetlands their irresponsible owners are dumping them in. As if dealing with alligators weren't threat enough now people in those areas have to worry about snakes large enough to eat a small child. It is the acts of irresponsible people that punish us all. Laws should be enacted to punish the guilty not the fancy as a whole but no one can come up with an enforceable plan to do this so they took the high road to protect their environment from invasive species. This argument isn't any different than breed specific legislation that is attacking dogs across the country, or animal rights groups trying to get rabbits classified as livestock so that breeders would have to get licensing thru the USDA in order to have a rabbitry and restricted to rural areas. Again punish the deed... Not the entire hobby. Finally if we can't even prevent illegal immigrants from pouring into our country by the hundreds daily WITH an established border patrol, what makes anyone think that this act can be enforced aside of making it look good on paper... Pissing millions of tax payer dollars away at making yet another unconstitutional law that can't be effectively enforced.

I agree that the argument can be made for infestation of large constrictors in the everglades, the ironic thing is you cannot have Burmese in Florida period. It's against the law to own them. So they, as the epicenter of the problem, have taken steps against it. But, seeing that it's already outlawed in Florida I don't see this "step further" as necessary.

Is there anything as a Canadian that I can do? I've been trying to find a petition that a Canadian can sign, and so far I have found nothing.

If you want to, you can support the USARK, I just meant Americans only because EUARK opperates for the EU. You can sign any petition you want.