"If Richards didn't agree with the voters' judgment to ban lion hunting, and even if lion hunting is in fact legal in Idaho, as president of the commission he should have exhibited some respect to the electorate he serves and restrained himself from killing a lion for the heck of it," Wayne Pacelle, CEO of the Humane Society of America, said on his blog.
Some of Richards' Republican colleagues stepped into the fray in his defense.
"Mr. Richards has not broken one law," said state Sen. Tom Harman, R-Huntington Beach, in a statement. "In the state of Idaho, it is perfectly legal to take down a mountain lion. After all, there are lots of states that don't follow California's lead on every issue."
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