MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan on Wednesday chuckled over the assertion by Rick Perry that he killed a coyote while jogging, misrepresenting what happened. After explaining that the Texas Governor shot the creature for menacing his dog, Ratigan intoned, "For the record, the Texas Wildlife Commission does not allow laser sited guns to be used in hunting as it is seen as cowardly, too easy, with a laser site, to shoot anything." [Audio available here.]
He then snidely added, "Though, this is said to be self-defense. Perry probably gets off. Although hunting coyotes with a laser sited gun is kind of like shooting a cow on the farm or maybe a moose in Alaska." First off, as Ratigan (sort of) explained, the Governor wasn't hunting.
Secondly, an AP story by Jim Vertuno clarified:
Texas state law allows people to shoot coyotes that are threatening livestock or domestic animals. The dog was unharmed, Perry said.
Perry's security detail was not required to file a report about the governor discharging a weapon, said Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Tela Mange.
Perry's security detail was not required to file a report about the governor discharging a weapon, said Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Tela Mange.
"People shoot coyotes all the time, snakes all the time," Mange said. "We don't write reports."
But, Ratigan probably knew that. Perhaps he just wanted to somehow work his Sarah Palin joke into the story.
A transcript of the brief segment, which aired at 4:23pm EDT, follows:
DYLAN RATIGAN: Finally, however, the coyotes of Texas beware. Texas Governor Rick Perry telling the Associated Press that he shot and killed one of the animals while jogging in February. He says the coyote threatened his daughter's puppy, so he put that sucker down. I used the word, sucker. I don't know if he called it sucker. Perry sometimes jogs, by the way, this is kind of bad ass, with a 380 laser sided Rugar loaded with hollow point bullets. Who does that? For the record, the Texas Wildlife Commission does not allow laser sited guns to be used in hunting as it is seen as cowardly, too easy, with a laser site, to shoot anything. Though, this is said to be self-defense. Perry probably gets off. Although hunting coyotes with a laser sited gun is kind of like shooting a cow on the farm or maybe a moose in Alaska.
