To keep it holy

The Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries endorsed Sunday hunting in Virginia, breaking away from the neutral position the Board had held for years. Hunting on Sunday is illegal in Virginia and has been the source of widespread debate among hunters and hunting groups in the Commonwealth.

The ban can only be removed by the Virginia General Assembly, and if it is struck down, the Board would have the responsibility to set proper hunting times.

"We welcome this opportunity to work directly with the stakeholders on setting hunting dates and times to include Sundays," said James Hazel, Chairman of the Board of Game and Inland Fisheries, in a press release on June 6.

The Board echoed the sentiments held by those who, for years, have supported hunting on Sunday. Many hunters argue that, because they work Monday through Friday, one day of hunting limits their opportunities. Others claim that the additional day of hunting would boost Virginia's popular hunting season. Hunting on Sunday would also attract out-of-state hunters for weekend expeditions, thereby increasing revenue for small towns through lodging, food, and equipment.

Opponents of hunting on Sunday counter that the day off from hunting is good for hunters, landowners, and wildlife.

"We have consistently stated that we believe Sunday is a day of rest, but also a day for others (besides hunters) to have use of the outdoors," said Wilmer Stoneman, Associate Director of the Virginia Farm Bureau, in a January press release.

As it stands now, hunting any wild bird or animal with firearms or any other weapon is banned on Sunday. Raccoon hunters are allowed to hunt until 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning. Those caught violating the law may lose their hunting or trapping privilege for one year to life and risk forfeiting their firearms.

The Sunday hunting ban is one of the last remaining "blue laws" still enforced in Virginia. Blue laws are laws that were designed to enforce the observance of Christian standards, such as rest on Sunday. For the most part, blue laws have been ruled unconstitutional or are ignored by state law enforcement. All seven states that still oppose hunting on Sunday in some form-- Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia -- were part of the original 13 colonies.

Challenges have been mounted against the prohibition almost every year for 20 years.

In January 2011, the Virginia General Assembly voted against Senate Bill 850 which would have removed the ban on Sunday hunting, according to The Virginian-Pilot. Despite support of the bill from the National Rifle Association and many hunters, the House sided with landowners and others who argued that the ban allowed them one day of outdoor safety each week.

Hunters are split on the issue. While the majority of sportsmen support hunting on Sunday, many understand the need for a day off from hunting. A 2006 report by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries showed that over 50 percent of hunters support hunting on Sunday.

In an email sent out on January 26, 2011, the National Rifle Association argued that the ban harmed Virginia's economy and worked against hunter recruitment and participation. Research from the National Shooting Sports Foundation indicated that hunting on Sunday could create almost four thousand new jobs and bring the state an estimated $296 million annually.

"For families with children, the current ban eliminates all time for hunting because most youth activities such as soccer, football, dance or debate team are scheduled on Saturdays," the NRA email stated. "This keeps the next generation of hunters from being developed."

The Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance opposed SB850 and published a paper in opposition to the effort. The Alliance expressed a loyalty to the Fourth Commandment, calling for Sunday to remain a "day of rest" for hunters and landowners. The Alliance stated that removing the ban would cast a negative light on hunting.

"Virginia has the most generous limits on deer kill of any state in the nation. No hunter, no matter how they plead otherwise, is so deprived as not to be able to find an opportunity to hunt during the long seasons," stated the Alliance's position paper. "We acknowledge that some of our number have a limited number of vacation days, but believe that resulting public opinion would inescapably be negative, and give antihunters a big hammer to bludgeon us with."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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