Computer-Assisted Remote Hunting

It's seldom that gun owners and animal rights advocates agree on an issue, so this controversy is notable. Gun and animal lovers are both outraged at the practice of shooting animals via the Internet.

But John Lockwood, creator of the Live-Shot Web site, said the people trying to ban the practice do not understand how it works.

A Web camera is mounted in one area of the range, and both the camera and the gun can be manipulated remotely by computer. Lockwood said someone on the ground controls when the safety is off the gun to make sure there are no accidents and that the gun is not fired at an animal that is not eligible to be killed.

He said the camera is set up on a 336-acre ranch near San Antonio and the view is no different than that of someone who might be sitting in a blind waiting for an animal to come close.

"The camera only overlooks a small portion of the land," he said. "There is no guarantee that you'd get something."

Apparently, participants subscribe at the website, pay fees, get a Texas hunting license, and blast away. Lawmakers are being asked to pass legislation to curtail the practice, however, there doesn't seem to be a basis to make it outright illegal. Various bills have been introduced in 10 states and efforts are underway to have Congress act.

One last thing, John Lockwood claims he created the site to allow the handicapped and disabled the opportunity to experience the thrill of the hunt. How sporting. Personally, it would be nice if Lockwood created a site which enabled the hunting of terrorists.