Quote Originally Posted by wyodjm View Post
Hi Tom:

I hope you're being a bit paranoid! It would be a shame if it were true.

Wyoming used to have the no firearm possession rule also. Maybe they still do, I’d have to look. The main reason for that here was because of the extended and liberal falconry season. I guess the state figured if you’re hunting with a hawk there was no reason to have a gun with you also, because gun hunting was closed. I saw it as a similar regulation comparing archery and gun hunting. For example, archery has its own early season where the carrying of a firearm is prohibited. And then there is a black powder season also.

You can explain to your friend that it wasn’t personal when the regulations were written excluding firearms. I look at those regulations more as a “choose your weapon” regulation. The taking of waterfowl, game birds, and small game with a hawk is just another form of weapon I reckon.

Best,

Dan
Hi Dan,
In the old federal regs there was a mention of firearms. In the new ones they are not mentioned because they are falconry regs. The issue of permitted hunting methods for any given season or quarry can be addressed somewhere else keeping the whole issue of guns and falconry separate. In other words it is not necessary for the falconry laws to take sides in a firearms issue and thereby avoiding either side of the debate if you see what I'm saying.

If you would like to align with NRA it would be good if there was no mention of firearms in the falconry regs at all, in my opinion.

There is no need to explain anything to my friends now, and I wouldn't be brave enough to even try, because we have no mention of firearms in our falconry law. Which actually brings up another point, some falconers I knew were carrying sidearms illegally while hawking and why not since personal protection is a valid reason for carrying a side arm. A person busted for carrying that firearm could have his falconry permits revoked, so why risk it on a law that goes against ones constitutional rights in the first place?

People have the right to carry that gun but unfortunately falconers don't have a constitutional right to carry that hawk and that can be taken away from that falconer.