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Representatives debate bill to allow loaded long guns on snowmobiles on private land
Summary
Representatives heard HB1046FN to allow carrying loaded long firearms on snowmobiles when on private property with permission. Sponsors framed it as a modest statutory fix; Fish & Game opposed it on safety, enforcement and landowner‑liability grounds. No vote recorded.
Representative McFarland introduced HB1046FN, saying the bill would allow the carriage of loaded long arms on snowmobiles when the operator is on private land with permission and that the measure is narrowly tailored to avoid changing hunting rules or public-trail law. He urged removing a special definition of “loaded” from the bill to avoid statutory conflict and simplify compliance.
The committee’s questions focused on safety and enforcement. Representative Darby asked whether hunter‑safety guidance (for example, unloading when crossing obstacles) would be undermined; McFarland said the bill preserves hunter‑education rules and seeks only parity for snowmobiles with other means of travel on one’s own property. Representative Nab asked whether “implied permission” would be sufficient; McFarland said the exemption excludes mere presence on public trails or corridors and intends to cover neighbors or invited guests.
Captain Eastman of the Fish and Game Commission testified in opposition, citing public‑safety risks (accidental discharge when firearms are jostled), questions about how firearms would be carried and secured on machines, and landowner liability. He told the committee his agency would be more comfortable if the statute required written landowner permission or included an agricultural exemption; he also said officers now would generally treat loaded long guns on snowmobiles the same as loaded long guns in motor vehicles and urged caution about changing enforcement expectations.
Committee members probed enforcement and the relationship between overlapping statutes that currently restrict carrying loaded long guns on snowmobiles. Representatives pressed whether convictions exist or whether the law has been enforced; Captain Eastman said he knew of few prosecutions and that enforcement has historically been complaint‑driven rather than proactive.
The hearing closed after committee questions. The record shows substantive concerns about safety, statutory consistency, and whether the change should require a written‑permission component or other safeguards. No committee action on the bill was recorded in the transcript portion covering this hearing.
