18 U.S.C. § 48 — Animal crushing

(a) Offenses. This subsection lists three crimes. First, it is illegal to purposely engage in "animal crushing" affecting interstate or foreign commerce, or within U.S. maritime and territorial jurisdiction. Second, it is illegal to knowingly create an "animal crush video," if the person intends or has reason to know it will be distributed using interstate or foreign commerce, or if it actually is distributed that way. Third, it is illegal to knowingly sell, market, advertise, exchange, or distribute an animal crush video using interstate or foreign commerce. (b) Extraterritorial Application. This section also reaches conduct outside the United States — creating, selling, marketing, advertising, exchanging, or distributing an animal crush video abroad — if the person intends or has reason to know the video will be brought into the United States or its territories, or if the video actually is brought in. (c) Penalties. Anyone who violates this section can be fined under this title, imprisoned for up to 7 years, or both. (d) Exceptions. This section does not apply to certain conduct, or videos of that conduct: normal and customary veterinary care, farming practices, or other animal management; slaughtering animals for food; hunting, trapping, fishing, legal sporting activities, predator control, or pest control; medical or scientific research; actions necessary to protect a person's life or property; or humanely euthanizing an animal. It also does not apply to distributing an animal crush video in good faith to a law enforcement agency, or to a third party solely to assess whether the video should be reported to law enforcement. It does not apply to unintentional conduct that injures or kills an animal. This section must be enforced consistently with section 3 of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. (e) No Preemption. This section does not override or replace any state or local law that protects animals. (f) Definitions. "Animal crushing" means actually crushing, burning, drowning, suffocating, impaling, or otherwise causing serious bodily injury to a living non-human mammal, bird, reptile, or amphibian, done on purpose — this includes conduct that would violate certain other federal assault laws (sections 1365, 2241, or 2242) if done to a person in U.S. maritime or territorial jurisdiction. "Animal crush video" means any photo, film, video, digital recording, or electronic image that depicts animal crushing and that is obscene. "Euthanizing an animal" means humanely destroying an animal in a way that causes rapid unconsciousness and death without pain or distress, or that uses anesthesia to cause a painless loss of consciousness followed by death.