A state lawmaker in New Hampshire has been removed from a legislative committee after posting a photo of a squirrel he had obliterated with a .50 caliber slug on Twitter.
Republican state Rep. Jim Spillane posted the photo in response to a Twitter thread advocating for veganism, with the picture of the dead squirrel and the caption, “I shot a squirrel on my bird feeder today with a .50 caliber muzzleloader. Enjoy.”
Twitter users were quick to condemn Spillane, who was a member of the state’s Fish and Game Committee, according to the Union Leader. By Friday New Hampshire Democratic House Speaker Steve Shurtleff announced Spillane was removed from the committee.
“In light of the warning Rep. Spillane received from the Fish and Game Department due to his recent conduct we felt it was inappropriate for him to remain on the Fish and Game Committee and have removed him from his committee position,” Shurtleff said in a statement.
The House’s Republican leader, state Rep. Dick Hinch, condemned the action by Shurtleff.
“Removing Rep. Spillane from the Fish and Game committee for a minor infraction is heavy-handed and I’m disappointed that the Speaker chose to take this action,” Hinch said.
“It’s unfortunate that the Speaker did not give Representative Spillane the opportunity for a face-to-face meeting to discuss the issue, or even a warning for that matter,” he added. “In the future, will members of the Transportation Committee be removed for minor infractions such as a speeding ticket?”
Spillane claims that a Fish and Game Committee member told him he was justified in shooting the rodent, which he said was eating out of his bird feeder and burrowing through the fencing of his chicken coop, although that was disputed by Kevin Jordan, chief of the state’s Fish and Game Department’s Law Enforcement Division.
“We went down to tell him that the behavior was inappropriate; he understood that and has taken steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” Jordan said.
