The ban on Sunday hunting stems from “blue laws” established in colonial America intended to prevent trade and other activities that conflicted with observance of the biblical “day of rest.” The other activities included opening a store for business, drinking alcoholic beverages and tilling fields. I believe the ban on hunting should be repealed, as the blue laws are both irrelevant and economically deprecating.
Declining interest in hunting has been a huge issue in Virginia, with license sales down 50% since 1974 and still dropping. Many attribute this to the lack of access for blue-collar workers, many of whom are working 5-6 days a week, making Sunday their only viable day to hunt. In turn, those hunters also have little time to teach the next generation how to hunt, yielding even lower license sales in the long run. Some Sunday hunting coalitions estimate that nearly 2,500 jobs would be created or have workers hours increased if Sunday hunting were allowed in Virginia, with estimated economic output in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Think of the additional nonresident hunting licenses that could be sold if hunting lodges could sell weekend packages to their customers, not just Saturday hunting deals. Furthermore, a repeal on Sunday hunting would increase sales on guns, ammo and hunting clothing and accessories.
Therefore, it is my recommendation to the Governor that he sign all wildlife management authority over to the Virginia Department of Fish and Game. As an entity free of taxpayer dollars, they will be able to make more accurate rulings on Sunday hunting. During these tough economic times we should be looking at any and all ways to raise state revenues without taxing the citizens more, by allowing Sunday hunting we take a strong step in that direction.
-Bryan Kloster
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