Sample Letter to Senators regarding HR 5566

Dear Senator Richard Blumenthal,
I am writing today in order to ask for your help in passing legislation to ban the creation, possession and sale/distribution of crush videos. Crush videos are sexual fetish videos which depict women crushing small animals such as puppies, kittens, mice and rabbits to death with their bare feet or high heeled shoes. In these videos, it is also not uncommon for the animals to be burnt alive, cut with pruning sheers, nailed to the floor, skinned, beaten, stabbed, among any number of possible horrific tortures.

While the acts perpetrated in the videos violate animal cruelty laws in all 50 states, the 1999 cruelty depiction law, which was created to protect them, no longer exists. It was initially enacted because it was difficult to prosecute those who participate in creating crush video, yet did not appear on camera. With the Supreme Court’s decision to void the 1999 law against the depiction of animal cruelty, crush “producers” are no longer afraid to publicly sell their videos and crush is once again becoming increasingly popular.
The law was recently dismantled by the Supreme Court, as it was deemed to be “too broad” and would adversely affect “free speech”. The law’s initial conception was enacted to stop the production of videos such as the ones generated by the crush industry, which we do not see as “free speech”.
The 1999 law was successful in driving crush video underground, however, since the law’s dismantling, there has been a new resurgence of crush video all over the internet in America. United States based web servers are now gaining profit by hosting those who are selling and housing crush video on their websites.

I urge you to pass legislation that will prevent anyone in the United States from producing or gaining profit from this horrifying practice. More and more crush video and/or “snuff films” are reappearing on the internet. Please pass the revised bill H.R. 5566 in order to make animal crush videos illegal.
Studies have shown that those who commit violent acts against animals are just as prone to commit said acts against human beings. We ask for stiff penalties against anyone generating, selling, distributing or possessing crush video. We ask that you take a strong stance in support of our request not only to make it easier to prosecute the creators/distributors of these videos, but to make the internet and our mutual communities a safer place for our children.
As you cared for Connecticut for so many years, I hope that passion still remains within your heart and know this is something that needs to prevent horrible atrocities such as this one!!!!
Enjoy your weekend.
Thank you,
Shannon V. Grady
New Haven, CT