Senate Bill 370 is intended to make us a little safer in North Carolina. However, the bill does not go far enough in restricting residents from purchasing venomous snakes, baby alligators and other dangerous animals.

Delve into the story of the Connecticut woman attacked by the chimp, and you may have a greater interest in this bill. Senate Bill 370 makes it illegal to intentionally release a dangerous reptile into the wild. But will people owning exotics abide by this law?

Several months ago, we hired a landscaping crew to do some yard work. During my conversation with one of the young men, he disclosed that he owned a 20-foot python. He was looking to sell it since it had become too big. I cautioned him, doubting that anyone would buy a snake that large.

People buy pythons when they are 2 feet long. When it grows to be 100 pounds, no one wants it. The snake has become too costly to feed and too much to handle, and the wife and kids are afraid of it.

I was very concerned about what he would do if he couldn't sell the python or give it to another snake lover. He could only roll his eyes when questioned. His response led me to believe that he might take the snake to the woods and set it free.

Florida now has 10,000 pythons roaming areas where they don't belong, placing children, adults, cats and dogs at risk. Let's not wait until someone in Moore County is injured or killed to encourage stricter laws.

Maureen Burke-Horansky

Pinehurst