Last Thursday, March 6, was Crossover Day for the Georgia 2025 Legislative Session. This means bills that did not pass out of their house of origin are essentially defeated for the year.
Good news, no gun-control bills that would affect sportsmen made it through crossover. The following sportsmen-related bills did crossover and are pending scheduling for hearings in their respective committees.
House Bill 167 allows a hunter to wear fluorescent pink hunting outer garments, as well as fluorescent orange. HB 167 passed the House by a vote of 164 to 0 and has been referred to the Senate Natural Resources and the Environment Committee.
House Bill 432 requires a person 16 years of age or older to have a Georgia turkey permit in his/her possession, in addition to all other required hunting licenses. The bill also states any resident of Georgia may be issued a Georgia turkey permit at no cost and the fee for such permit for non-residents shall be $100. The Department of Natural Resources will also design and sell collectible Georgia turkey stamps. The purchase of such stamps are voluntary and shall not be required in order to hunt turkeys in this Georgia. HB 432 passed the House by a vote of 166 to 1 and has been referred to the Senate Natural Resources and the Environment Committee.
House Bill 443 establishes a new recreational reef/migratory fish endorsement with a $10 annual fee for residents and $20 annual fee for non-residents. HB 443 passed the House by a vote of 165 to 1 and has been referred to the Senate Natural Resources and the Environment Committee.
House Bill 451 allows local boards of education the option to provide hunting safety education for grades 6 through 12. HB 451 passed the House by a vote of 159 to 16 and has been referred to the Senate Education and Youth Committee.
House Bill 491 extends the use of air guns for hunting big game during primitive weapon hunts, primitive weapon seasons, and firearm seasons to July 1, 2030, unless continued in effect by the General Assembly prior to that date. HB 491 passed the House by a vote of 171 to 3 and has been referred to the Senate Natural Resources and the Environment Committee.
Senate Bill 163 strengthens the Peach State’s firearm preemption laws by allowing individuals and organizations who are adversely affected to file suit against the offending political subdivision in court for declaratory and injunctive relief. SB 163 passed the Senate by a vote of 33 to 23 and has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee.
Keep an eye on your inbox for updates or emails needing you to take action. Don’t forget to share this alert with your family, friends, and fellow sportsmen. Also ask them to Take Action when the time comes. In the meantime, ask them to join you and the Sportsmen’s Alliance in standing up to fight, protect, and defend against the rising tide of animal and gun-control extremism. The extremists work tirelessly to crater our rights, values and heritage and we must work harder to ensure they are secure today, tomorrow, and for the future.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance guarantees hunting, fishing and trapping for the American sportsman now and forever. We’re there when sportsmen need us most. We are the only organization specifically created to protect the individual hunter, angler and trapper – no matter the threat. We will never compromise when it comes to defending our way of life in the courts, in the legislatures, in the public square and at the ballot box. We make this promise to the American sportsman: we will never give up and never give in while proudly securing our future against those seeking to destroy our values, beliefs, and traditions. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
