| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to hunter safety; amending s. 372.5717, |
| 3 | F.S.; authorizing the Fish and Wildlife Conservation |
| 4 | Commission to defer the hunter safety course requirement |
| 5 | for a specified time period and issue a restricted hunting |
| 6 | license; limiting the number of deferrals an individual is |
| 7 | allowed; permitting hunting with a restricted license |
| 8 | under certain circumstances; deleting the mandatory |
| 9 | minimum number of instructional hours for the required |
| 10 | hunter safety course; providing exemptions for the display |
| 11 | of hunter safety certification; providing an effective |
| 12 | date. |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 15 |
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| 16 | Section 1. Subsections (2), (3), and (6) of section |
| 17 | 372.5717, Florida Statutes, are amended to read: |
| 18 | 372.5717 Hunter safety course; requirements; penalty.-- |
| 19 | (2)(a) A person born on or after June 1, 1975, may not be |
| 20 | issued a license to take wild animal life with the use of a |
| 21 | firearm, gun, bow, or crossbow in this state without having |
| 22 | first successfully completed a hunter safety course as provided |
| 23 | in this section, and without having in his or her personal |
| 24 | possession a hunter safety certification card, as provided in |
| 25 | this section. |
| 26 | (b) The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission may |
| 27 | defer the hunter safety course requirement for 1 year and issue |
| 28 | a restricted hunting license. Individuals may receive only one |
| 29 | deferment. Individuals issued a restricted hunting license shall |
| 30 | only be permitted to take wild animal life with the use of a |
| 31 | firearm, gun, bow, or crossbow under the direct supervision and |
| 32 | in the physical presence of an adult who has successfully |
| 33 | completed or is exempt from completing the required hunter |
| 34 | safety course as provided in this section. |
| 35 | (3) The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission shall |
| 36 | institute and coordinate a statewide hunter safety course which |
| 37 | must be offered in every county and consist of not less than 12 |
| 38 | hours nor more than 16 hours of instruction including, but not |
| 39 | limited to, instruction in the competent and safe handling of |
| 40 | firearms, conservation, and hunting ethics. |
| 41 | (6) All persons subject to the requirements of subsection |
| 42 | (2) must have in their personal possession, proof of compliance |
| 43 | with this section, while taking or attempting to take wildlife |
| 44 | with the use of a firearm, gun, bow, or crossbow and must |
| 45 | display a valid hunter safety certification card, unless the |
| 46 | hunter safety course requirement is deferred pursuant to this |
| 47 | section, to county tax collectors or their subagents in order to |
| 48 | purchase a Florida hunting license. After the issuance of a |
| 49 | license, the license itself shall serve as proof of compliance |
| 50 | with this section. A holder of a lifetime license whose license |
| 51 | does not indicate on the face of the license that a hunter |
| 52 | safety course has been completed must have in his or her |
| 53 | personal possession a hunter safety certification card, as |
| 54 | provided by this section, while attempting to take wild animal |
| 55 | life with the use of a firearm, gun, bow, or crossbow. |
| 56 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2006. |