The states of Louisiana and Nevada are poised to permit bowhunters to carry firearms for personal protection for the first time beginning with the upcoming 2015-16 archery big game seasons.
A measure approved by Louisiana lawmakers earlier this month and awaiting the expected signature of Gov. Bobby Jindal would allow bowhunters to carry any caliber handgun while afield with a bow. Previously, hunting archers were limited to .22 cal. sidearms.
SB 212 was sponsored by Sen. Rick Ward (R-Port Allen) and will become effective with the governor's signature.
An amendment concurred unanimously by the Senate June 9 clarifies that the bill does nothing to limit the ability of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to regulate hunting in wildlife management areas.
Earlier this year, the Nevada Wildlife Commission approved a temporary regulation allowing bowhunters to carry firearms for personal protection while hunting. The action was in response to a bill introduced in the state legislature aimed at removing the longstanding restriction of handguns in the field for bowhunters.
The regulatory language was updated to reflect the changes requested by the Commission by allowing a person to carry any handgun that is not scoped or has a barrel length exceeding 8 inches. The regulation will be temporary and will require Legislative Commission approval to become permanent following the 2015 Session of the Nevada Legislature.
Last year, following multiple pieces of stalled legislation, Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley signed a measure permitting bowhunters in western Maryland counties to carry handguns for personal protection while hunting. SB 231 permits bowhunters who are otherwise authorized to carry a handgun to carry for protection while hunting in Deer Management Region A, which sustains the state's highest concentration of black bears.
While state-by-state regulations vary, most simply permit those with valid state concealed handgun permits to carry while bowhunting. Still, about a dozen states continue to prohibit bowhunters from carrying a firearm for personal protection.
2013 marked the first hunting season in which Vermont hunting archers were permitted to legally carry a handgun while afield. House Bill 129, an NRA-supported bill introduced by Rep. Patrick Brennan (R-Chittenden-9-2), allowed bowhunters and dog trainers to carry a handgun for self-defense while engaged in those outdoor activities.
In 2011, Alabama bowhunters were permitted for the first time to carry handguns for personal protection during archery-only seasons. That same year, North Carolina regulations allowed archery hunters "to carry, but not hunt with, a concealed handgun with valid concealed carry permit or an open carry handgun, as long as it is not in conflict with any other regulations in that jurisdiction."
In addition, the 2011 archery season marked the first time bowhunters in Missouri were allowed to carry handguns for personal protection. In 2010, Tennessee and Kentucky each liberalized handgun-carry regulations for archery hunters.
Because hunting archers enjoy their pursuits in some of the country's most remote and rural areas, lawmakers in a growing number of states understand they are left vulnerable by the prohibition on carrying a handgun for self-defense. With outdoor crime being a true threat due to clandestine drug operations and illegal marijuana growing, bowhunters should not be left defenseless.
- J.R. Absher
