Just in time for turkey season, the Mississippi legislature is sending a bill to the desk of Gov. Tate Reeves that would allow hunters to wear fluorescent pink rather than the usual orange safety gear.
House Bill 526 was approved unanimously by the Senate on Tuesday after flying through the House with an overwhelming 109-4 vote in early February. According to Rep. Jimmy Fondren, R-Pascagoula, the basis is to encourage more people to become hunters while maintaining safety standards.
“[The idea] is to encourage more people to participate in hunting,” Fondren said while presenting the bill. “It’s a safe color. I think it’s as bright as orange and people can see it throughout the woods.”
If signed by Reeves, Mississippi will become the latest state to allow hunters to wear pink after Wisconsin was the first to legalize it in 2016. Since then, nine other states have also hopped on board with the idea – Colorado, Louisiana, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.
