REGULATIONS

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued an Interim Final Rule removing the Attorney General’s delegation of authority to the ATF to process applications for relief from federal firearms disabilities under 18 U.S.C. 925(c). This action follows more than three decades of Congressional funding restrictions that have rendered ATF unable to process individual applications.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is recommending a few updates to the rules regarding Utah prairie dogs — which would go into effect if they are delisted under the Endangered Species Act — as well as a few changes to bear hunting and furbearer seasons.

Potential hunting regulation changes for 2022 and 2023 are available online for the public to review. The proposed changes are coming now during the normal biennial season setting year to help make Montana’s hunting regulations simpler and easier to understand.

Of the nation’s nearly 12 million registered recreational boats, those owners who federally document their vessels, or about 165,000 boats, will be spared the hassle of renewing their U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation every year as a result of recent rule change that now makes documentation valid for five years.

The White House has announced it’s finalized rule, Update to the Regulations Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, modernizing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to accelerate environmental reviews, improves American infrastructure, and advance a smarter regulatory agenda for the American people. 

The Arizona Game and Fish Commission has voted  to approve a Notice of Final Rulemaking that, if approved by the Governor’s Regulatory Review Council (GRRC), would designate a predator or fur-bearing hunt contest, as defined by the rule, an unlawful manner and method of take for these species.

On Thursday, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission unanimously denied a petition to ban all bobcat hunting and trapping.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission unanimously approved updates to the AGFC Code of Regulations concerning the possession, breeding, sale and importation of captive wildlife species at its regularly scheduled meeting Feb. 21, 2019.

The 2019 Spring and Fall Turkey Regulations are available on the FWP website at fwp.mt.gov/hunting/regulations/. Hard copies of the hunting regulations will be on the shelf at FWP offices and local license providers in March.

When Export Control Reform takes effect in 2019, sporting ammunition will accompany non-automatic and semi-automatic firearms on their journey from the International Traffic in Arms Regulations to the Export Administration Regulations. Ammunition that is primarily non-military in nature will be classified under Export Control Classification Number 0A505 of the Commerce Control List.