They’ve also targeted domestic horses. Since the U.S. stopped slaughtering horses for human consumption 10 years ago, a dwindling number of horses are trucked to plants in Canada and Mexico to be killed for meat. In July, the House Appropriations Committee approved budget language that would make it legal once more to slaughter horses in the U.S. For now, a Senate committee vote appears to have blocked this measure.

Polls show the majority of Americans do not favor killing horses, wild or domestic. But lobbyists for the cattle industry and hunting groups do, because horses compete with livestock and game species such as antelope for pasture and water. The Trump Administration’s 2018 budget included a proposal that opens the door for the BLM to save money by selling wild horses for slaughter. The congressional budget proposal would instead allow the BLM to cull young, healthy wild horses. Representatives say the horses would be “euthanized,” the way homeless pets sometimes are.

Here are the myths some politicians, ranchers and hunters are trying to use to justify allowing slaughter plants to reopen and the BLM to kill wild horses and burros. The reality is there are better, more humane alternatives to handle unwanted domestic horses and the growing number of wild horses and burros on the range.

MYTH: Horses can be slaughtered in a humane manner.

Reality: Horses’ instinctive flight behavior and their long necks make it difficult to accurately place the captive bolt gun on their foreheads to bring a quick death. This means they are often not killed on the first try as are cows and other livestock. Especially if the slaughter plants’ workers are inexperienced or the guns are not well maintained, it often takes several attempts, as terrified horses struggle to survive.

MYTH: Slaughter is the best and only way to deal with unwanted domestic horses.

Reality: There are more humane ways to reduce the number of unwanted horses, such as adoption. “We need to find them homes [so that] they have second careers,” says Marty Irby, HSUS senior advisor in charge of the equine department. “It’s very feasible, and it’s being done.” Educating horse breeders so they prevent mares from having too many foals is another way to reduce the number of unwanted domestic horses. Slaughter plants allow those who overbreed to dispose of animals cheaply. The Safeguard American Food Exports (SAFE) Act, now before Congress, would have the opposite effect, by banning both the slaughter of horses in the U.S. and the export of horses for slaughter. Putting animal welfare concerns aside, horses in the United States are not raised for human consumption and their meat contains toxic residues of veterinary drugs.