Okay so as you may know (I've seen a few journals in my inbox alone covering the issue), there are a couple bills running around that can potentially end the reptile trade as we know it. The bills are HR2811 and S373, and they're looking to ban the trade, sale, transport, export/import, and giving away all pythons, and now S373 is even going after Boa constrictors and all of their smaller subspecies, along with four species of anaconda.

Now you may say... Dang, these animals sound pretty dangerous, don't they kill people?? Who cares if they're banned!?

Snakes have killed 12 people since 1980. That's 12 people in nearly 30 years! Compared to dogs, horses, stairs, toasters, and pretty much everything else, pet snakes rank as one of the more harmless things an American faces. This is just a political move, and there are much more pressing issues facing the country and even the everglades.

From an environmental standpoint, a nationwide ban on cold blooded animals where a suitable habitat is really only found on the southern tip of one state, Florida, does not make sense. This is a state issue, and the negligence of few keepers should not mean the vast majority needs to be penalized.

The research supporting the ban is unscientific and outdated at best, and the bills are obviously fear based.

If they pass, we don't really know what will happen at this point. S373 is being amended weekly, but all of the amendments are terrible for snake keepers.

Potentially we are looking at:
1. No importation or exportation of pythons and some boas, at least of the larger species, and later it would be easy to add smaller species like ball pythons to the list of injurious animals.
2. No travel across state lines. If you want to move out of state, you have to leave your snake behind.
3. No selling, trading, or giving away of the snakes. Remember point #2? If you move out of state, you may end up having to euthanize your pet as it is the only legal option. The bills as written are inhumane.
4. No breeding. Were you hoping to get a baby snake after college? Or maybe you just wanted to share your love of snakes with your future children? Well toooo baaaad!

Mail letters, send emails, make phone calls, and if you're feeling very outgoing, arrange a meeting with your representatives. INFORM PEOPLE. <--- Big one. Lots of people don't even know this is happening.

Now sending emails is EASY. NoSnakeBan.com will basically do it for you! Find this page: [link] and type in your information. It finds your senators and representative FOR you, and provides a prewritten email to send. You can even mail the letter for the additional charge of $3 per letter, but the email alone is 100% FREE.

Link your friends, your family, everyone. Even if they don't like snakes, this goes further than that. These bills would destroy an entire industry, killing people's livelihoods, and it is a right we as citizens do not NEED to lose! There is no scientific reason why we should have to give up the right to own snakes. If the ban passes, it is a doorway to ban even more animals, just like HR669 intended to do. Just because this does not affect you now does not mean it won't set a precedent for legislation in the future.