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House Bill 491 extends air-gun sunset and broadens catfish provision for bow fishing
Summary
Representative Chastain told the committee HB491 extends a sunset for air-gun and air-bow provisions and replaces language specifying two types of catfish with 'any catfish' for bow fishing; the sponsor said the change responds to hunters and anglers.
ATLANTA — Representative Chastain presented House Bill 491 to the Senate Rules committee March 25, saying the bill would extend a 2025 sunset for provisions related to air guns and air bows and would change the statute’s catfish language to cover “any catfish.”
Chastain said the existing law contained a sunset of July 2025 in section 1 and that HB491 “extends that sunset to July ’23 for the, air guns and air bows.” He also said section 2 would strike references to two named types of catfish and instead allow the provision to apply to “any catfish.”
During discussion Senator Anderson (chairman of Natural Resources) and others asked clarifying questions about species referenced in the code. Chastain described the two types previously named as “the blue ... channel and the flathead,” and said the change would allow bow hunters to target any catfish species under the revised wording.
Nut graf: The bill makes two narrow changes — adjusting a sunset date for the air-weapons provision and broadening a species reference in the fishing statute — that supporters described as technical clarifications for hunters and anglers.
Committee reaction and next steps: The sponsor said this is likely his first bill and asked for support; no objections were recorded in the Rules meeting summary. HB491 was included on the Rules committee’s approved slate to move forward for committee consideration.
