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Animal rights nonprofit People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has opposed California animal shelters’ decision to reject potential pet adopters based on their perceptions of gun control.
“We do not support those who believe the Second Amendment gives them the right to purchase assault weapons,” the Shelter Hope Pet Shop in Thousand Oaks, Calif., wrote according to their website. “If your beliefs are different from ours, we won’t adopt your pet.”
The logo of the international non-governmental animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is pictured in Stuttgart, southern Germany, on May 13, 2022.
(YANN SCREIBER/AFP via Getty Images)
“If you hesitate because your core belief is that you believe teachers need to carry guns, then you will not be approved for adoption by us,” the shelter continued. “If you are fostering for us and believe in firearms, please bring back our dogs and/or cats, or we will arrange to have them picked up.” People can be prosecuted for fraud.
PETA’s assistant manager Catie Cryar told Fox News Digital they knew the shelter “will do a good job and are confident they have the best of intentions, but from PETA’s perspective, because of the homeless animal crisis, it’s important to It’s the adopted animal being treated and cared for well, a standard we think is important.”
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Shelter Hope Pet Shop is owned by actress Kim Sill, who has defended Fox News’ expectations for potential adopters, especially given the impact of gun violence on her family.
“In 1998, my sister was shot by her husband,” she said. “He bought a gun two days ago, didn’t have a mental health check, and killed her.”
Sill said the tragedy prompted her to become involved in animal rescue, which she said likely saved her from suicide.
She said the shelter’s policy was prompted by the recent mass shooting in Uwald, Texas, and a shooting near the shelter in 2018.
Kim Sill at the Regent Theater in Agoura Hills, CA on August 15, 2015.
(JB Lacroix/WireImage via Getty Images)
“Adoption facilities like mine turn people away for a variety of reasons,” Hill noted. “They can turn you down because you tell them you’re going to use that kind of dog food, or that kind of cat litter, on the dog you want. I mean, seriously, we’re a private nonprofit and we’re I take pride in doing everything we can to find the best home for cats and dogs.”
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“But I think adding this issue about gun control has sparked conversations from people who don’t believe they should even tell me about their situation,” she continued. “So I think it’s a deal breaker for most of them.”
She noticed how some people were being turned away because they didn’t want to answer questions about gun control during the shelter’s hour-long interview.
Shelter Hope Pet Shop founder Kim Sill and a guest attend the Shelter Hope Pet Shop 20th Anniversary Celebration at St. John Knits on September 25, 2015 in Beverly Hills, California.
(Lily Lawrence/WireImage)
“I would say your opinion on guns is relevant because if you have a stroke, God forbid, your wife calls me and tells me to come to your house and get the dog,” Hill continued. “I may not feel safe coming to your house because I know you are very opposed to what I think is inappropriate for an 18-year-old to have a gun.”
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Sill also said she had received death threats from hundreds of people calling the shelter, but added that she forgave them.