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Tell The U.S. Coast Guard to Shut Down the
Philadelphia Gun Club Pigeon Shoots
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DEAR FRIENDS,
It seems the corrupting ability of NRA-supported pigeon shoots has claimed the legitimacy and dignity of yet another tax-funded agency; The U.S. Coast Guard. We've seen how state agencies have folded before the pigeon shooters, but this is the first time a federal agency has folded.
Here's what happened. In late 2009, after SHARK began documenting cruelty at the Philadelphia Gun Club (PGC), the PGC applied for three "Marine Event" permits from the Coast Guard (the PGC borders the Delaware River and they shoot toward and into the water).
If you remember, SHARK had legally put a boat in the Delaware River and the applications submitted by the PGC were their way of trying to stop us, as the permit would have sectioned off the water from public traffic.
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SHARK Boat Fired On at Philadelphia Gun Club - Bensalem, PA Police Do Nothing!
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The three applications submitted by the PGC are damning in that it is a direct admittance by them that their shoots pose a danger to public navigation. You can see all three documents on THIS page. From the PGC applications:
"The club has been holding target shoots over the over [sic] the Delaware for 132 years. We require a safety exclusion area offshore of our property to exclude small craft during the event for safety reason."
"Small craft traffic has brought to our attention the danger of personal injury to occupants from falling shot offshore out to 100 yards. We are interested in preventing personal injuries."
Recently, SHARK discovered that the Coast Guard had responded to the PGC. It was a stunning letter in that the Coast Guard not only denied the PGC applications, but they wrote the following:
"After a review of your intended activities, specifically land-based target shooting with potential falling shot/debris offshore into the Delaware river, our office has determined that your planned events require a safety zone. The proposed events require the establishment of a safety zone because they have the potential to affect the safety of life and the environment on the navigable waters of the United States."
The Coast Guard went on to say that "Prior to establishing a safety zone, an environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) must be conducted."
The letter was signed by the M.S. Antonellis, Commander and Chief of the Prevention Department for the U.S. Coast Guard.
We could not have asked for a stronger, more factual letter. This alone should have been enough for the Coast Guard to take action.
With this letter in hand, we went back to the Coast Guard and asked that they shut down the PGC. Two months later, we received a call from the investigation department for the Coast Guard telling us that the decision whether to take action or not against the PGC is up to the Captain of the Port and that the current Captain would do nothing.
That's right; even though the Coast Guard had previously ruled that the PGC could not hold pigeon shoots without a safety zone, the current Captain decided to ignore this.
It is important to understand that SHARK is arguing that the PGC is required to have a safety zone and that the PGC would never be able to pass the environmental assessment that is required for it (we have documented dozens and dozens of instances of gun shot and dead and wounded birds dropping into the river). Therefore the PGC should not be allowed to hold pigeon shoots over the Delaware. It's a good bet that the PGC knew this as well, which is why they just ignored the Coast Guard letter and hoped no one would ever find it.
Why would the Coast Guard ignore it's own findings? Does it have anything to do with the fact that Leo Holt, former President of the PGC, who has donated heavily to politicians and runs a shipping business that uses ports on the Delaware? We can't say for sure, but the Coast Guard has been compromised.
Please contact Meredith L. Austin, Captain of the Port, and politely ask that she shut down the PGC pigeon shoots. Feel free to use the Coast Guard's own letter as proof that what the PGC is doing is wrong.
EMAIL: Meredith.l.Austin@uscg.mil
Please also send a copy of your email to the Coast Guard using this web form.
I hope you will tell the agency what you think about its allowance of the pollution of a historic public waterway, and the endangerment of the public so that a cabal of rich narcissists can kill to their black hearts' content.
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SHARK Calls For an Investigation
of Colleton County Sheriff's Deputies
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Last week, SHARK sent a letter to Colleton County Sheriff George A. Malone that called for an investigation into the unprofessional and unethical actions taken by the Sheriff deputies during the recent pigeon shoot held at the Broxton Bridge Plantation.
The Times and Democrat newspaper ran a story on it, containing a good part of our letter, which you can read HERE.
While Sheriff Malone took time to respond to the newspaper, he still hasn't responded to our request for information relating to the illegal shoot down of our aircraft, or of the actions of his deputies, which you can see in the following two videos:
SC Police Intimidation Outside Broxton Bridge
More SC Police Intimidation at Broxton Bridge Plantation
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What are Pigeon Shooters Really Like?
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Acting on information, SHARK checked out a new location for Pennsylvania's infamous live pigeon shoots, this one in Luzerne County, PA.
Clearly these guys are very upset that we found out about their new animal killing club!
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What are Pigeon Shooters Really Like?
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Kindest Regards,
Steve Hindi and Your SHARK Team
"Kindness and compassion towards all living beings is a mark of a civilized society. Racism, economic deprival, dog fighting and cock fighting, bullfighting and rodeos are all cut from the same fabric: violence. Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we have learned to live well ourselves." - Cesar Chavez, civil rights and labor leader, founder of the United Farm Workers
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