This week, the Mississippi Senate unanimously passed House Concurrent Resolution 30 and House Bill 353. HCR 30 was passed in the state Senate on Tuesday, and will now appear on the November 2014 ballot for voter approval. HB 353, approved in the state Senate on Wednesday, will be sent back to the House for concurrence with the Senate amendment.
HCR 30 is the NRA-backed right to hunt and fish constitutional amendment sponsored by state Representatives Bubba Carpenter (R-1) and Charles Busby (R-111). The language of the amendment reads as follows:
"Section 12A. The people have the right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife, including by the use of traditional methods, subject only to laws and regulations that promote wildlife conservation and management and that preserve the future of hunting and fishing, as the Legislature may prescribe by general law. Public hunting and fishing shall be a preferred means of managing and controlling wildlife. This section may not be construed to modify any provision of law relating to trespass, property rights, the regulation of commercial activities or the maintenance of levees pursuant to Article 11."
Special thanks to Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves (R), Senate President Pro Tempore Terry Brown (R-17) and Senate Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks Committee Chairman Giles Ward (R-18) for their leadership on HCR 30 in the Senate.
House Bill 353, introduced by state Representative Bill Denny (R-64), is a NRA-supported bill which would make it a crime to deceive a federal firearm licensed dealer when purchasing a firearm. Thank you to Senate Judiciary B Committee Chairman Hob Bryan (D-7) for shepherding this bill through his committee and handling it on the Senate floor.