Close cruel loophole.

Byline: The Register-Guard

IT'S ILLEGAL IN Oregon to strap razors to roosters' legs, place them in a pit and force them to fight, often to the death, for the amusement of spectators. Raising game birds for cockfighting, however, is still allowed in Oregon. This loophole ensures a ready supply of fighting birds for an inhumane "sport" that is illicit but widespread. The state Legislature should close the loophole by approving House Bill 2086.

HB 2086 would elevate the crime of cockfighting, currently a misdemeanor, to a Class C felony, the same as dogfighting. More important, it would prohibit the breeding, raising and possession of gamecocks. Currently, gamecock breeders are able to claim that their birds will be sold in Mexico, the Philippines and other countries where cockfighting is legal. In fact, many of them are destined for bloody contests in places like Junction City and Coos Bay.

The Oregon House approved legislation similar to HB 2086 two years ago, but the bill died in the Senate. Opponents. led by Sen. Roger Beyer, R-Molalla, worried that anti-cockfighting legislation might somehow interfere with legitimate poultry businesses, such as raising birds for plumage used in fly-tying. Yet HB 2086 defines fighting birds narrowly. Before the state could obtain a conviction under the law, it would have to prove that a defendant intended that gamecocks be used for fighting purposes.

In the 2001 legislative session, gamecock breeders could claim that they were raising birds for sale in Louisiana, New Mexico and a few other states where cockfighting is legal. But federal legislation sponsored by Oregon Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden has outlawed interstate commerce in fighting fowl. Oregon should not aspire to be the supplier of gamecocks to the rest of the world, and it certainly should not make it easier for illegal cockfights to continue to flourish at home.

Some opponents also see HB 2086 and its predecessors as part of a larger agenda of animal rights groups that will eventually turn their attention to deer hunting or trout fishing. It's true that animal rights organizations are working to build support for the legislation.

But HB 2086 is also supported by the Oregon Association of Chiefs of Police, the Oregon State Sheriff's Association and other law-enforcement groups. Police officers know from experience that their efforts to crack down on illegal cockfighting are hindered by the absence of a law against the possession of fighting birds. They also have found that cockfighting is often associated with other criminal activity.

There's nothing sporting about cockfighting - it's cruel and barbaric. To prohibit cockfighting without banning the possession of fighting birds is like outlawing burglary, but not the possession of stolen merchandise. The Legislature can take a stand against cockfighting in Oregon and elsewhere by approving HB 2086.