Maryland Moves to Ban Net Hunting

Maryland is now considering legislation that would ban Internet hunting, a new fad among some enthusiasts of the sport that allows the user to fire a gun remotely at live game. However even avid supporters of the sport are working to have it outlawed.

At least ten states now have laws on the books prohibiting the practice, and Maryland State Senator John Astle, a hunting enthusiast that says Internet hunting "flies in the face of the hunting ethic," has put forth legislation in the state to stop the practice there.

Astle, a Democrat representing Maryland's Anne Arundel County, has garnered the support of the Humane Society of the United States, the Safari Club, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and even the National Rifle Association.

At least one Web site has already stopped services due to rule changes. Live-Shot.com stopped service last year after its home state of Texas made the practice illegal.

"Prior to the ban, we proved that with determination, practice, patience and perseverance, a man who thought that he would never have an opportunity to hunt again was able to harvest an animal while bound to his ventilator in his room," the Web site said of the new law.

Some say the ban needs to be worded so those who are disabled may still use computers to assist in hunting live game.

"We would never want to eliminate future technologies that would allow someone, disabled or otherwise, to participate in hunting in the field," Maryland Department of Natural Resources director Paul Peditto told the Associated Press on Monday.