Houston County commissioners vote to remain shotgun-only, blocking state change from taking effect locally

The Houston County Board of Commissioners voted to keep the county’s existing shotgun-only hunting regulation rather than allow the state law that would permit rifles. The motion, made by Commissioner S4 and seconded by Commissioner S2, passed on a roll-call vote.

Staff (S7) outlined the board’s options: adopt a local rifle ordinance to explicitly allow rifles, enact a local ordinance to ban rifles (retain shotgun-only), or take no action and allow state law to take effect. Several residents who testified earlier during public comment urged the board to preserve the shotgun-only rule for safety reasons; commenters referenced petitions and prior public-hearing counts favoring shotguns.

Commissioner S4 said constituent outreach showed strong local opposition to allowing rifles and argued the county should not adopt a change just because neighboring counties may do so. After brief discussion of enforcement and uncertain future changes at the state level, the board conducted a roll call and the motion to retain a shotgun-only policy carried.

Outcome and next steps: The board’s vote instructs county staff to prepare any necessary ordinance language and administrative steps to maintain shotgun-only regulations in Houston County; no immediate changes to hunting rules will occur until staff brings back ordinances or formal text for finalization.