AN ACT TO CREATE THE RICK KENNEDY ACT; TO PROVIDE THAT IF A PERSON, WHILE TAKING ANY BIRD OR MAMMAL, WHO KILLS OR INJURES ANOTHER PERSON BY THE USE OF A FIREARM, BOW AND ARROW, OR OTHER WEAPON OR DEVICE USED IN SUCH TAKING, AND HE OR SHE IS SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL CHARGES AND CHARGED AS A RESULT OF SUCH KILLING OR INJURY, THE PERSON SHALL HAVE HIS OR HER HUNTING LICENSE SUSPENDED UNTIL ALL SUCH CRIMINAL CHARGES HAVE BEEN WITHDRAWN, DROPPED, OR OTHERWISE DISMISSED, OR UNTIL HE OR SHE HAS BEEN ACQUITTED OR FOUND NOT GUILTY OF ALL CRIMINAL CHARGES; TO PROVIDE THAT IN ORDER FOR SUCH PERSON TO HAVE HIS OR HER HUNTING LICENSE REINSTATED DUE TO NEGLIGENCE, HE OR SHE MUST HAVE BEEN ISSUED CERTIFICATION OF SATISFACTORY COMPLETION OF A HUNTER EDUCATION COURSE APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT, AND MUST APPEAR BEFORE THE COMMISSION TO HAVE HIS OR HER HUNTING LICENSE REINSTATED AFTER A ONE YEAR PROBATION PERIOD HAS ENDED; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 49-4-31, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, FOR PURPOSES OF POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
House Bill 827, titled the “Rick Kennedy Act,” creates a new hunting-license suspension and reinstatement framework for incidents in which a person, while hunting birds or mammals, kills or injures another person with a firearm, bow and arrow, or other weapon used in the hunt. If the person is charged criminally as a result of the incident, the bill requires immediate suspension of the person’s hunting license until the charges are resolved in the person’s favor or dismissed. It also requires the appropriate law enforcement agency to notify the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks within 48 hours after criminal charges are filed.
If the person is later acquitted, found not guilty, or the charges are otherwise dismissed, the bill imposes additional conditions before the hunting license may be reinstated in cases involving negligence. The person must complete an approved hunter education course, then appear before the commission after a one-year probation period to seek reinstatement. The bill also brings forward existing Section 49-4-31 for possible amendment, which already requires investigation of hunting-related deaths or injuries and allows the commission to refer cases involving culpable negligence to the district attorney.
HB827 would add a new statutory consequence tied to hunting-related shootings or other weapon injuries: automatic suspension of hunting privileges during the pendency of related criminal charges, plus a mandatory reporting requirement from law enforcement to the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. It would also create a more formal reinstatement process for certain negligent incidents, layering hunter education, probation, and commission review onto existing wildlife enforcement procedures. The bill does not repeal existing law, but it would operate alongside Section 49-4-31, which governs investigation and referral of hunting-related deaths or injuries and chemical testing requests in serious weapon incidents.
Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee debate or votes in the provided materials, the overall sentiment appears to be precautionary and public-safety oriented. The measure is framed as a response to hunting accidents involving injury or death and is designed to ensure accountability while criminal proceedings are pending. Because there is no transcript or vote history available, there is no documented opposition or support to characterize beyond the bill’s apparent intent to strengthen safety and oversight in hunting incidents.
The main potential point of contention is the automatic suspension of a hunting license upon criminal charging, which could be viewed as a strong administrative penalty before guilt is determined, even though the suspension ends if charges are dismissed or the person is acquitted. Another possible issue is the reinstatement requirement for negligent incidents, which adds hunter education, a one-year probation period, and a commission appearance before privileges are restored. The bill also raises questions about how broadly “while taking any bird or mammal” and “other weapon or device used in such taking” will be applied, and how the new process interacts with existing negligence investigations under Section 49-4-31.