“I guess I just don’t understand the rationale of why anyone would need to carry an uncased, unloaded weapon in your motor vehicle,” Franklin said. “It only takes a second to jacket a weapon into its case.”

Cornish listed a couple of examples of where hunters would benefit.

For instance, if a group of deer hunters had finished driving a field and one of the hunters didn’t bring his gun case, it would now be illegal for him to catch a ride back to his vehicle with his uncased gun, Cornish said.

Waterfowl hunters also would benefit when pursuing a wounded duck, something they’re required to do by law, he said. But if they have a motorized boat, they’re now required to have their gun cased while the boat is in motion. By the time they put their guns in cases, catch up to the bird and uncase the guns, the injured bird will sometimes dive under the water.

But Franklin said most members of his association, looking at the broader implications of uncased weapons in vehicles, consider the bill a bad idea and hope lawmakers come to the same conclusion.

“We hope common sense, logic and safety prevail with our Legislature,” Franklin said. “That’s kind of what we’re banking on.”

The bill, which has been sent to the House subcommittee governing game, fish and forestry issues, still doesn’t have a sponsor in the Senate. Cornish, nonetheless, remains optimistic about its prospects.

“I’ve already counted votes and Dill’s got enough votes to pass it out of the first committee and the second,” Cornish said. “Where it will probably run into questions is the Judiciary Committee.”