Logic and continuing the Sunday hunting ban
By Pam Humphrey
Jerry Frawley’s commentary (“No logic in continuing Sunday hunting ban”) published Jan.21 disputed Marlene Condon’s prior submission (“Sunday hunting is no cure-all,” Jan. 11). As a thinking Virginian, I must side with Condon.
I believe the foundation of the American system is for the populace to speak through elected representatives. Evidently, four delegates represent the views of their constituents by continuing to vote against Sunday hunting.
Humphrey is retired from the College of Veterinary Medicine in Gainesville, Fla., and lives on a farm in Newport where she pursues her passion of native plant photography.
January 30, 2013 - 6:14 AM
With all the respect I can muster, there is no “logic” to most anyone’s hobby. Hunting is a great and long standing American heritage that deserves the same respect as any other hobby.
The money that hunters contribute to the economy, the National Forest and preservation is huge and important as well.
Being a 24/7 nation and many people working the five-day week, Sunday is a day that they should be as able to hunt as any other IMO. This is just about control and the way we have always done it.
If you are telling me you stay in your home 6 days a week due to the fear of hunters I might see your point, but we all know better.
Let hunters hunt on Sunday, there is no more chance of harm than any other day of the week and we all know it.
BTW, I am not a hunter, I am a vegetarian and animal nut. I just think this is grossly unfair to hunters.
1 – I agree with you, Sandi. There are also some people who hunt on Sunday because they work the six other days and rely in good part on what they hunt for sustenance.
I agree with Ms Humphrey, in that it makes little sense to pass another restrictive Sunday hunting regulation. What most Virginians, and apparently including Ms Humphrey, likely are unaware of, is that Virginia neither “bans” hunting on Sunday or recreational shooting. In fact, legally where Ms Humprhey lives it would be perfectly legal to shoot a variety of wild animals on Sunday, as well as discharge firearms, essentially without limit on Sundays. Her neighbor that she says she’d report to law enforcement authorities if she heard gunshots on Sundays, has the legal right to shoot and kill a wide variety of wild animals each and every Sunday. They’d also have every right to shoot recreationally each and every Sunday.
While, Ms Humphrey may very well be an expert on tick biology, she lacks even the most basic knowledge of Virginia law with regard to Sunday hunting and recreational shooting.
If her community is like mine, Virginia’s Sunday hunting restrictions directly influence an increase in the amount of firearms discharges I hear on Sundays. Essentially, because of the Sunday hunting restrictions, hunters become target shooters on Sunday.
I find it interesting that Ms Humphrey writes about the logic of a Sunday hunting “ban” based on safety, when the restrictions likely make her world less safe than would be if Sundays were like other days with regard to hunting regulations.
It seems that we always read these arguments, but only when there’s a discussion on Sunday hunting. I guess people are trying to convince others that it’s logical to live with fear six days out od seven, so long as Sundays remain hunting restrictive, and recreational shooting liberated?
Weekends in the fall are great for hunting and for hiking. Let hunters have one day and the hikers the other. If hunters need to be more efficient on Saturdays in order to kill enough deer to eat (#2), then get rid of some of the restrictions such as the use of bait or dogs.
At the very least Virginia should remove the Sunday hunting ban on private land, returning the right to choose whether or not to hunt on Sunday to landowners. That could be the first step in having this old outdated blue law done away with across the board after citizens of the commonwealth are made to realize their fears of being shot at on Sunday afternoon are unfounded, as there are few stats to back up this claim from the other states that have done so. You are allowed to pursue any other hobby of choice on private land that either you own or have permission for be it four wheeling, hiking, horseback riding, etc. Why are hunters still being discriminated against in this regard?
Tony Rutherford, makes an excellent point: “…because of the Sunday hunting restrictions, hunters become target shooters on Sunday.” This is very true. I live in Bedford County, within 3 miles of the Roanoke County line and 2 miles of the Hardy Ford boat ramp and the ONLY day of the week I am apt to hear gunshots is on Sunday.
This is in reply to Pam Humphrey’s response to my letter about Sunday hunting logic. Again she like Ms Condon is entitled to her opinions but not to distort the facts. Let us begin
Ms Palmer believes quite correctly that people speak through their representatives. But by saying that the majority spoke needs some facts. In 2012, the last full year of the General assembly, a bill to allow full Sunday Hunting was submitted. It passed the Senate 29 FOR- 11 against. This bill was then sent to the House where it went to a subcommittee chaired By Powhatan Delegate Ware. There the vote was, as all Sunday bills have been, it was killed by a 4 against- 3 for. Surveys by VDGIF show 64% want Sunday hunting. A survey by Sen. Rush of the 7th District show 57% want Sunday Hunting. So logic seems to say that the people did not speak and or were not represented and never have e had a voice on this issue.
Ms Palmer would lead you to believe that all of a sudden because people can hunt game and non game species that they will commit infractions that they do not do during all other times they are allowed to hunt. Why would Sunday Hunting all of a sudden cause this to happen? Again logic does not apply.
She states that if she hears gunshot on Sunday it must be people hunting. She misses that many fathers teach their children to safely handle firearms as that is the only time they can do it. She also immediately contacts the Game Warden. I have found no laws that make it illegal to shot a firearm in Newport. I do hope she has been cited for making false reports. Saying shooting indicates hunting is like saying speeding indicates NASCAR racing. By the way how many people were cited for illegal hunting.
Again not logical
AS to deer ticks please go to these sites for information.
http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10370_12150_12220-26945–,00.html. http://www.eradicatelymedisease.org/. http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/resources/brochure/508_LD_Brochure.pdf
One thing I do cannot make logic out of his how ticks know to only place to cover is “hunter killed deer”. I didn’t know ticks could tell the difference between a “hunter Killed” deer and one that died from coyotes or disease.
Now to the International Hunter Education Association she quotes. I have been to the site and looked all over it and kind find no reference to “1000 people are shot each year by hunters…” From the IHEA own report the following figures apply: 2005- 405 deaths, 2006 – 219 deaths, 2007 – 239 deaths. None from Virginia. My proof is here: http://ihea-usa.org/news-and-events/news/incident-reports.
Again like all sports there are bad hunters like there are farmers who cause food poisoning and photographers that take X rated pictures. By saying all hunters kill cows is to say all photographers and all farmers are the same. Not logical. By saying she has found an arrow in her yard means it is from a hunter forgets that many children will take their play bows out and shot them everywhere. To her it has to be hunters. Again not logical.
Unless you allow hunting on your property there should be no fear to walk around your property on any day why just on Sunday. If all this life threatening activity is going on then I am sure you have law enforcement reports of them. If horseback riding, hiking or bird watching is happening on private property then I am sure they have the property’s owner permission. That would only be legal and logical. Allowing Sunday Hunting does not in any way give anyone blanket permission to hunt on anyone’s property.
So as the reader can see it is good to get the Sunday hunting subject out into the public arena so all can see the true facts and reasons behind in. Unsupported so called facts and opinion will always lose out to logic and documented information.
And that is the true logic on removing the old blue law and restrictions it causes on many private property owner. 4 Delegates each year in the General Assembly bow to a vocal majority and fail to face the facts on the issue. The majority of the commonwealth has spoken numerous times and wants to be able to hunt on Sunday. Instead they listen to groups like HSUS, PETA and VaHDA who have their own agenda. Not logical.
Thanks Sandy. You always take a logical approach to your comments, and whether we agree or not, I respect you for your logic.
Imagine people and lawmakers being perfectly ok with living for fear of their lives Monday through Saturday, and never once making a change in regulation. Make that make sense to the people that oppose Sunday hunting, and it might make sense to the people that support it, and those that really couldn’t care much less.
Ticks…..really ticks?
Law should be fairly fundamental…..but it never is with regard to Sunday hunting. “If your existing liberty is similar in scope and risk to the liberty that you seek, your existing liberty justifies allowing the liberty that you’re asking for”. Hunting is legal on Sundays. Recreational shooting is legal on Sundays. How can lawmakers justify restricting something that they allow?
Here is another item that is quoted: “Additionally, Nationwide Insurance Co. offers policy protection for livestock killed by hunters. The very fact that coverage is offered implies this happens often enough to make policy protection desirable.” Or is it that Nationwide Insurance see the opportunity to make lots of money off of scared farmers who are willing to pay these type of fees? I am sure Ms Humphrey has the figures to show the amount of pay out on that insurance each year (due to all these cows killed by hunters)to what a farmer pays over the lifetime of his policy for that coverage. Insurance companies do not offer coverage that they will lose money on. Now that also would not be logical.
Ms. Humphrey might also be interested to know that Delegate ware championed a bill, that eventually passed into law, stating that law enforcement personnel cannot assume that anyone in the woods, on Sunday, with a weapon, is hunting. Hence her statement that gunshots heard coming from her neighbors property means that someone is hunting, is flawed logic as well.