A bill passed by the Iowa Senate earlier this week would make it a felony to be a spectator at a dogfight or other such event where an animal is tortured and killed.

It may seem somewhat redundant and harsh to make being present at an illegal event a felony - punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $7,500 - but if that's what it takes to stop this cruel and inhumane practice, so be it. Under current law, spectators can already be charged with an aggravated misdemeanor.

The logic is that if there is no customer base, the profit motive for staging these fights goes away. There's a lot of space between an aggravated misdemeanor and a felony, and hopefully the threat pans out. After all, there's no reason for a fight if it's just a building owner, dog owner, promoter and guy who transports the dogs (all who can be charged with penalties under current law).

The bill now heads to the House. We hope it passes.