A glue trap ban is wrong, locally or nationally
On Friday, Representative Ted Lieu announced that he has introduced a bill to ban glue traps nationally. You can read the text of that bill, here.
This is a topic I wrote about in the Keene Sentinel back in November in response to an article after a similar proposal was introduced in New Hampshire.
In (Ted) lieu of rewriting it, the text of that op ed is included below. In short, banning the free exchange of products between consenting persons is an inappropriate intrusion into residents’ lives and a violation of their right to exchange freely.
Restated in the language of the Principle of Human Respect: banning the free exchange of products between consenting persons diminishes wealth by robbing people of the opportunity to peacefully exchange.
It was a bad idea in New Hampshire and it’s wrong for all the same reasons (and more) at the national level.
Glue traps are ghastly; don’t outlaw them
Recently this paper reported on a bill, requested by a Stoddard resident, that would outlaw the sale and use of glue traps in New Hampshire. Glue traps, for those that don’t know, are an ugly pad of plastic onto which a mouse runs and becomes stuck. The animal can then be poisoned, drowned, or otherwise killed — if it has not starved to death by the time the trap is recovered. It is brutal, violent, and often unnecessary.
I commend The Sentinel for drawing public attention to this legislation which, if enacted, would grant inappropriate power to those who would wield it. This bill, House Bill 2208, should be quickly dismissed. To do otherwise would be an inappropriate intrusion into residents’ lives and a violation of their right to exchange freely.
There are many reasons to kill a mouse: Mice and rats can carry diseases. They cause damage to homes by gnawing and nest building, causing costly long-term damage and secondary health effects. Perhaps a day may come when mice are not disease carriers, I’m optimistic about advancements in medical science, but the health and property rights of every human always take precedence. Sometimes, a mouse problem calls for a glue trap.
Opposition to bills like HB 2208 is simple: Human life is special. You should be able to protect yourself, your family, and your property from rodent interlopers. All life is precious, and laws instituted among people cannot justly limit a person’s ability to dispose of disease-carrying animals or purchase the products necessary to do so.
Personally, I use snap traps. They kill faster and cause less suffering. My family is safe and healthy, and my house is cleaner and more reliable. What you do with mice on your property is your decision. I suggest a humane approach: merciful, and sorrowful for harm caused.
I respect the Stoddard resident’s compassion for mice, even as I wish she extended that care for the rights and health of her neighbors. Just law and good leaders seek the low place. Glue traps would disappear tomorrow if most potential buyers witnessed a mouse die that way with their own eyes. There are more humane methods often stocked on the same local shelf.
I hope legislators are compassionate and understand that proposed laws like HB 2208 can be easily and quickly dismissed because when making laws for humans, the stakes are far higher.
