Assemblyman Bob Reilly Wants MMA Banned in NYS; Also, Crocodiles and Exclamation Points

Assemblyman Bob Reilly has become one of the most vocal dissenting voices in the push to get MMA legalized in New York State. At last month's legislative roundtable he blasted the sport because it "promotes violence", and his rhetoric has bled out into whatever interviews and editorials he can manage (check out MMAWeekly.com for his latest diatribe). But this isn't the first cause that Reilly has championed, and a little digging into official state records reveals the following legislative history:

• In 2004, Reilly sponsored a bill to ban crocodiles, citing them as "nefarious, untrustable creatures who eat my luggage".
• Also in 2004, Reilly sought to allow Westchester County to secede from New York State and the United States, effectively making it a country.
• In 2006, Reilly tried to ban the exclamation point. According to Grammar Committee minutes, he believed the exclamation point to be "too violent". His proposal involved replacing it with a smiley-face emoticon.
• In 2007, Reilly attempted to knight a constituent. This involved attacking the constituent with a sword.

From his history, it's clear that MMA could very well remain banned in New York State. Um, not.