AN ACT to amend the law in chowan county regulating hunting on private land, to regulate the discharge of a center‑fire rifle in chowan county, and to add chowan and Anson counties TO THOSE COUNTIES IN WHICH IT IS UNLAWFUL TO REMOVE OR DESTROY ELECTRONIC COLLARS ON DOGS.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.  Section 2 of Chapter 868 of the 1986 Session Laws reads as rewritten:
"Sec. 2.  It is unlawful to hunt with or possess any center‑fire rifle on the land of another or to discharge any center‑fire rifle on, over, or across the land of another unless the hunter has, on his person, the written permission of the owner or lessee of the land. The written permission shall be dated and may be valid for no more than one year.
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SECTION 2.(a)  It is unlawful to hunt with a center‑fire rifle unless the barrel of the rifle is at least eight feet above ground level.
SECTION 2.(b)  Violation of this section is punishable as a Class 3 misdemeanor.
SECTION 2.(c)  This section is enforceable by law enforcement officers of the Wildlife Resources Commission, by sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, and by other peace officers with general subject matter jurisdiction.
SECTION 3.  G.S. 14‑401.17 reads as rewritten:
"§ 14‑401.17.  Unlawful removal or destruction of electronic dog collars.
(a)	It is unlawful to intentionally remove or destroy an electronic collar or other electronic device placed on a dog by its owner to maintain control of the dog.
(b)	A first conviction for a violation of this section is a Class 3 misdemeanor. A second or subsequent conviction for a violation of this section is a Class 2 misdemeanor.
(c)	This act is enforceable by officers of the Wildlife Resources Commission, by sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, and peace officers with general subject matter jurisdiction.
(d)	This act applies only to Alamance, Anson, Avery, Beaufort, Brunswick, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Camden, Caswell, Cherokee, Chowan, Clay, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Davidson, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Hyde, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, New Hanover, Orange, Pasquotank, Pitt, Robeson, Rockingham, Swain, Transylvania, Union, Wilkes, and Yancey Counties."
SECTION 4.  Sections 1 and 2 of this act apply only to Chowan County.
SECTION 5.  Sections 2 and 3 of this act become effective October 1, 2004, and apply to offenses committed on or after that date.  The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified this the 7th day of July, 2004.

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		 Beverly E. Perdue
	 President of the Senate

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		 James B. Black
	 Speaker of the House of Representatives