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"I feel" was probably poor choice of words on my part; that is what I get for not proofreading.
To re phrase my previous comment:
From the perspective of someone on the outside looking in, it seems to me that there will always be a great risk, much of which is touched upon by Frank, regarding preparedness. I however, it seems that even in a professional (non-private) setting there is the potential for similar risks, it just helps that more people are involved in the emergency response system, making it more efficient. Even in a zoo, if someone suffers a bad bite from a black mamba or tiger snake, there is a high risk of death. From my perspective, it would appear that private keepers, if properly trained and equipped, can safely maintain venomous collections. If someone is fully aware of all aspects of the risk, then based on what I can see at this time I think they should be able to get a license to keep them if they are properly equipped and have appropriate protocols in place.
As for the other comment I made:
The one thing I feel should be different is the licensing requirements. I feel that all venomous snakes should require a license to keep. The fact that (in most counties) native CA venomous (ruber aside) require no permit, yet copperheads require a state permit is kind of crazy. Essentially without a permit it would be legal to keep SoPac or Mojave rattlers but illegal to obtain a copperhead.
~what I mean is, based on my current knowledge of venom, copperheads are less dangerous under similar bite conditions than some of the snakes that can be legally kept without permit requirements being met, in CA that is.
Just to give you all a little info about where I am coming from:
I was looking into obtaining a venomous permit a few years ago. I was working on a long term plan but gave it up in its infancy at the request of my wife. I got as far as researching the legal requirements to obtain the permit. Now had I gotten past the second step (working with non-venomous, aggressive animals for 2 years without a bite) and moved on to the 2 year internship at an institution working with venomous snakes, perhaps I would have changed my perspective and decided that private citizens should not be allowed to keep hots. Frank has that perspective after years of experience in a professional and scientific capacity and thus, I have taken all he has to say very seriously (there is no substitute for that kind of experience).
As far as the question of how much risk somebody feels they can handle; that can be tricky. The NC kid that had those hots illegally FELT he could handle it... he was wrong and his friend paid for it. Most people tend to overestimate what they are capable of (or underestimate what the snake is capable of) and that is where things can go horribly wrong.
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