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标题：House balks at overturning ban on trapping
作者：Richard Roesler Staff writer The Associated Press contributed to
期刊名称：Spokesman Review, The (Spokane)
出版年度：2002
卷号：Feb 27, 2002
出版社：Cowles Publishing Co.

House balks at overturning ban on trapping

Richard Roesler Staff writer The Associated Press contributed to

Moles and gophers, rest easy.

Despite a supportive Senate, the House of Representatives' top lawmaker says the House isn't about to overturn a 2-year-old trapping ban.

House Speaker Frank Chopp said he doesn't think the House could muster a two-thirds majority, required because the ban was approved as a statewide voter initiative.

"I don't believe there's two-thirds to do that in the House," said Chopp, D-Seattle.

The Senate managed it last week, with 38 of 49 senators voting to repeal Initiative 713.

The initiative banned body-gripping traps to capture most mammals for recreation or fur. Mice and rats were excluded, and backers told voters the ban wouldn't apply to gophers and moles. The state later ruled gophers and moles were, in fact, protected.

"It was a misinformation campaign," said Rep. Bob Sump, R- Republic.

He and other rural lawmakers have long opposed the trapping ban, which also protects coyotes and other livestock predators.

When suburban lawmakers began hearing about moles and gophers digging up yards, ball fields and cemeteries, the Senate found enough votes to OK the unprecedented step of overturning a citizens' initiative.

In the past week, lawmakers have been hearing a lot about the vote. E-mails have flooded in from San Diego, Illinois, even Scotland, as pro- or anti-trapping groups weighed in on the change.

"We sent out 16,000 post cards to notify some of our members," said Lisa Wathne, director of the Humane Society of the United States office in Seattle. "The Legislature is hearing from some very angry people."

Some lawmakers say they're reluctant to change anything that 1.3 million voters approved, especially after only two years.

"The people have spoken," said Rep. Alex Wood, D-Spokane.

Others argue that the initiative, in protecting moles and gophers, isn't what voters thought they were approving.

"If it has unintended consequences, we should have the guts to go after it," said Rep. Larry Crouse, R-Spokane, who said it should at least be modified.