Legislative Notebook: Hunters being very, very quiet

Hunters being very, very quiet

Hunters will be allowed to use sound suppressors on their guns if the new Senate Bill 93 becomes law.

“It is not silencers. It’s not James Bond stuff. You’ll still be able to hear the gun,” said state Sen. Ross Tolleson, R-Perry, one of the bill signers. It’s just meant to keep from startling people too much who live near hunting grounds. The Senate passed a similar bill last year, but the House never took it up. People convicted of using such hardware to try to mask illegal hunting in closed areas, for out-of season big game, or at night, will lose their licenses for three years.

Move afoot to give more auto tag money to specialized groups

Georgia drivers might think they’re spending $35 annually to support quail populations or educators or some other cause by renewing their special license plates, but that’s not quite true. Right now, $10 goes to the cause and $25 goes into the state’s general bank account. House Bill 180 would reverse those ratios. The bill is sponsored by state Rep. Willie Talton, R-Warner Robins, and two of his co-signers are state Rep. Robert Dickey, R-Musella, and state Rep. Buddy Harden, R-Cordele.

-- Maggie Lee