Case Information
*1 GENERAL TXZEATIWDRNEY OF TEXAS
Auslw 11. TExas
honOr8ble P.W. Winter
county Attcrney
Jim Ho= county
Hebbronvllle, Texas
mir Sir:
opinion Wo. o-4318 Would 8 person convicted under Article
Ret 480a, Vernon's Annotated Pen81 Code, thereby forfeit hi8 huntizg license sxitl huntins rights under Article 893, Penal Code0
Thl8 is in Feeponrre to your request for our opinion 8nswer- question. you say you have 8 a8de pending wherein the lng the above questionwfll be r8ised 8nd you seek our advice 88 to whether conviction of &tide $808, Vernon18 kUlOt8ted of ViO~tiOtl Penal Code would result in forfeiture of huntlxq liaen8es 88 authorized and required by Article 893 oi the Penal code of this State.
The lest official revl8lon of Penal Code of Taxas ~8s effective on Septeiier 1, 1925. It aontalned Article 893 88 8 part of Tftle 13 %ffenses Againrrt Public Property” and w88 incorporated in Chapter 6 ofi 88ld title, *Game, Fish 8nd Oysters", said Article 893 X%8ds 88 fOiiOW8t
'Any person convlated of vlol8tinS 8ny provl- slon of the Same laws of this State sh811 thereby
8UtCUlKktiC8l’ly forfeit his license for 88id 8e88On.
Any 8uah parrron 80 aonvlcted of vlol8tlnS the g8me
laws 8h8ll not be entitled to reaelve from the St8te e'liaense to hunt for one yeer issaedlately folloulng the d8te of his COtWiCtlOn# 8nd It ehall be unlawful for 8ny person who la convicted of violatin& 8ny of the provisions the S8me 18wu of thle Stste to pur- I chase possess 8 huntInS llaense for 8 period of
one ye8r lamedlately following date of such conviction; and it 8h811 8180 be unl8wful for 8ny peivon con-
vlcted of viol8ting m the Same laws of this State to hunt with 8 Sun In this State for e period of one ~ year immediately following date of such aonvlction.
"ditty person VlOl8tlttg w Of the prO~lSlOn8 of this (IcMtlOn sh8ll be deemed gulltyof a mlsde-
me8nor 8nd upon aonvlatlon 8h811 be fined in any sum doller8, nor more lrS8 th8n one hundred ($100.00) th8ntwohundmd (&!C@.~) dollsrs."
Qttr iavestig8tlgn does not disclose that thb above mtiOle ~ ,'!'~.,'~ been amgmd&in @rq manner since the codiiicstion Of the st8tuta8 .,. ;,'i.:.,~~rerred to ebove.
Ronorable Rlnter, Page 2 mm _ -
Vermonta Annotated Pen81 Code Artiole 4808 ~88 p8ssed by the Legl618eUn, 8ubrequent to the 8dOptiOn Of the l&i Pen81 Code. It lt8S enacted by the Forty-first tig1818tUN 8t its Second Called &sslon,~and 1s offlCl8lly Printad 8s Chapter 3, page 4 the Oeneral Second and ThM Called Settsions, L8W8 0s the Forty-first b&!l8tUl'8, 1929. As the 88me la relatively rhort, we quote In f'ullt "An Act prohibiting the shooting or dlsch8rging of 8ny .gtttt, pi8tOi or firearm 0s any kind in or SiOng
or 8~088 8ny public road In this State; and pX'e8cribing 8 penalty theZ%fOr.
"Be it enacted by the Legi818tWe of State Of
"Section 1. Any person who shoots or discharges any gun, pl8tol or firearm 3.n on, 81Ow 8Cro8S 8ny publle ro8d ln thls State sh8il be fined not more than ~bldlY?d~118l-8.
"SEC. 2. The f8Ct that many person8 are now dlscharglng fire8~~1 along and 8cro8s public roads In this State, thereby endangering the lives and safety on said roada oreates 8n emer- 0s persons rightfully gency requlrlng th8t the Constltutlon81 Rule requiring 8 bill to be read on three seper8te days be 8u8pended 8nd said Rule 18 hereby 8uspended and that this Act take effect immediately, and it 1s so enacted."
In the c8se or ffalloway v. State 125 Tex. Cr. R. 524, 69 S.W.’ (2d 89, there Is 8 dl8eWlOn of the ef#ect.8nd 8ppliO8tion of Article Q 93, Penal Code. I 18 pointed out in the opinion 0s the court Of crimb81 Appeals that 8 ViOl8tiOn Of 8ny Of the g8me bWS Of thl8 State 8utom8tically forfeits the llcenee of the guilty party; th8t such he8 no place in the j*ent 0s conviction r0r the offense or forfeiture ViOl8ting the Bame l8U8.
We find nothlng ln 8ny pirtlon 0s Vern&n's Penal Code, Artlalc 4808, nor in the 0rricial Acts 0s the Party-first Legislature, supr8, to Indicate that the Legl8lature intended such 8et to b8 denomltded as 0 "provision 0s the game laws 0s this State". It 1s obvlous'that many per- sons might shoot or discharge gun67 platols or other fire&m6 "in, on, 81Onp; and 8ClWSB" public roads In &hi8 etate without any of +em beinp; ln pursuit 0s game.
It is Our opinion that mere conviction for shooting 8 8crosa a publia road in violation of Vernon's Pen81 Code, Article 4K (Acts Forty-first Leg., svpra), would not bring 8bOUt a~&rfelture of the hunting licenee the dimfhnt; that such offense .ls 8 vfol8tlon ;iokhe game 18~8, and therefore Article 893, Penal Code, has no appllca-
.
A>
' Roiorlble Winter, paSe3
Yours very truly Al’l’ORWI3Y OZNFSAL OF TRXAS By 8/ Rcnj8ml.n wood811 Renj8mln wood811 Aaelstant BWtmptwo
APPROVRD JAR 21, 1942
8/ Grover Seller8
FIRST ASSISTAWT
ATTQRRSY GENRRAL
APPROVRDOPINIORCOWITTEEBY B/BWBCRA-
i