Hate to break this to yal, but our hobby is not exactly an extremely widespread thing. People get the "guv'ment" to ban things they don't understand. Piranha bans all over the warm weather states should be fairly obvious, while some bans are outright silly, I.E. snake bans in Maine.
Its up to you guys as hobbyists to make the public aware, and teach them that these animals aren't dangerous to anyone when extra care is taken and the proper handler owns them. No soccer mom is going to believe piranha are ok to own in Georgia or Texas simply because she is afraid lil Sussy is going to run into a lake and be devoured by someone's discarded shoal of teethy fish. The animal rights wackjobs are harder to deal with, but some are reasonable and if you can show them you understand the animal and have more than adequate accommodations for them then they can just back right the hell off lol.
You have to be the change you want to see...plain and simple. I'm in the process of planning to kick down doors at the DCNR here to get an exotic animal permit to own hedgehogs or sugar gliders...in PA...a state no exotic mammal could ever live in, let alone breed in. They haven't issued a permit to a private citizen in FOREVER. I'll be damned if I let the uninformed ruin my chance for a cool pet. If some PETA-tard wants to come have a chat they are more than welcome as well lol, I'd most likely know more about the critter in question anyways.
