Haner is Right - Virtual Assembly Amounts to Legislative Malpractice

Late yesterday afternoon, the House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Committee convened via Zoom video conference to meet and take up legislation.  VSSA had previously signed up to speak in favor of HB1799, a bill that would add public land to the places that were allowable for Sunday Hunting.  Citizens were warned at the time of signing up that they would only receive a link to the meeting if it was anticipated that time may be available to speak - sign-up was "first come first served".  VSSA did receive a link to the meeting so it was presumed our representative would at least be given an opportunity to state the Association's support for the bill.  When the bill came up for a hearing, the chairman said 50 people had signed up and were in the waiting room to speak for or against the bill.  He said there was not enough time for all to be heard, and asked the patron if he and anyone he wanted to speak.  The person he suggested was a representative of the Congressional Sportsman's Foundation.  He was the only person allowed to speak for the bill, and one person spoke against the bill - a representative of the Farm Bureau.  The bill was defeated on a 6-16 vote.

Last week, legislative veteran, lobbyist, and blogger Stephen D. Haner wrote about this year's session at the blog Beacon's Rebellion:

From our “Be Careful What You Ask for Department,” I give you the General Assembly “short session” that opens Wednesday, which is supposed to last only 30 calendar days instead of the usual 46. The Republican effort to limit the session’s possible output and impact is being answered by Democrats seeking to accelerate the process instead.

I was asked recently what my priority was for the coming session. The answer is to avoid a deep vein thrombosis from sitting all day, five or six days a week, straining to follow intense legislative discussions and legislative maneuvers with lousy sound and a screen that looks like Hollywood Squares crossed with musical chairs.

Doing a General Assembly at all under these conditions is legislative malpractice, a danger that should frighten all Virginians of any ideology. Nobody – not lobbyists, agency folks or average citizens – will have much luck getting input considered. Bills will be acted on far faster than even the digital tracking system can report. Expect fiscal and other impact reports to post well after bills have passed or even after the gavel falls “sine die” around Valentine’s Day.

Steve is write, what was experienced yesterday is nothing short of "legislative malpractice."

Deer Harvest Up 20% Over Last Year for First Weekend of Muzzleloader Season

The Fredericksburg Free Lance Star reports that muzzleloader hunters found a lot of deer during the first weekend of muzzleloader season this year:

The first weekend of Virginia’s early muzzleloader season opened with a lot of smoke as the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries’ early harvest numbers for deer and turkey show nearly a 20 percent increase in deer taken compared to last year.

Hunters were able to hunt on private land on Sunday this year, which certainly helped fuel the increase.

DGIF Director Bob Duncan told the Star that he was very happy to see hunters taking advantage of the additional opportunities opened to them with the new Sunday hunting law and noted that the numbers from both the archery season and the first week of muzzleloader season look really promising for a great season this year.

Hat tip to Legalize Sunday Hunting for All.

What the New Sunday Hunting Law Means to You

Bill Cochran at the Roanoke Times notes what the new Sunday Hunting Law means for hunters:

...Firearm’s deer season will be lengthened by as many as nine days in some areas; bear season by as many as 13; fall turkey by as many as six; spring gobbler season by five; doves, 10; rabbits, 17; squirrels, 27.

Cochran also notes that there will be 12 additional days for hunting quail, if you are lucky enough to live where the species has not completely disappeared. He also writes that the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) is waiting on the AG's office to give an official opinion on what the term "landowner" means and once they get the clarification (one would think that is not all that hard but we are talking about lawyers) the agency will begin a public education campaign.

It should be noted, that if you go after nuisance species like groundhogs or predator species like coyotes, which have a year-round open season, you get to start taking advantage of Sunday Hunting now on private property.

Sunday Hunting is Now the Law

I had the opportunity yesterday to speak with Cam Edwards of NRANews about one of the new laws that took affect on July 1, as well as talk a little about the mess that anti-gun Delegate Joseph D. Morrissey has found himself.

Sussex County Fully Repeals Sunday Shooting Ban

At tonight's Board of Supervisors meeting, Sussex County has removed the language from the recently enacted county noise ordinance related to shooting on private property on Sunday.  The ordinance, enacted on April 17th, effectively banned shooting on private property on Sundays, targeting the new Sunday Hunting Law.  The ordinance had been passed in time to affect spring gobbler season.  After an outcry from gun owners and hunters, the Board passed an emergency ordinance at the May Board meeting, repealing the shooting section but had to act in 60 days to make the change permanent.  They did just that tonight.

BREAKING: The language has been removed from the Sussex County noise ordinance, a seeming victory for gun/land owners pic.twitter.com/OAd57QcOrx
— Mike Campbell (@itsthesoup) June 19, 2014

This victory is due to the hard work of gun owners and hunters who made a public outcry to the Board Chairman Eric Fly.  Thanks to your hard work, it is once again legal to target shoot on private property.

Sussex Board of Supervisors Likely to Revisit Sunday Shooting Ban at June Meeting

The Sussex Surry Dispatch reported in its latest edition that the Sussex County Board of Supervisors will likely revisit the noise ordinance issue at it's June Meeting. If the Board permanently repeals the section related to target shooting on private property on Sunday, they must hold a public hearing. As of today, no such notice has been posted and the county has not posted the agenda for the June meeting. The Board has until July to act or the temporary repeal will expire and the original noise ordinance will again become effective.

Sussex County Sunday Shooting Ban Repealed for 60 Days

The Sussex County Board of Supervisors held their regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, May 15.  During the meeting, County Attorney Mike Packer discussed the concerns raised by gun owners and hunters related to the ban on Sunday target shooting passed as part of a larger noise ordinance change on April 17th.  He said that if an emergency ordinance is approved, the board can "repeal" the section dealing with Sunday shooting (Section 5). He also said the matter would have to come back before the Board within 60 days because an emergency ordinance would expire in 60 days. Any permanent change would require a public hearing.  There was some discussion about how the Board exempt gun noise and not loud music but Vice Chairman Robert Hamlin responded  that loud music and gunfire noise is not the same.

I don't own a gun but I have a problem restricting a person's right to use their gun.

Maybe someone should ask Mr. Hamlin why it took a public outcry by gun owners and hunter to figure that out since he voted for the ordinance in question.

Sussex-Surry Dispatch reporter Mike Campbell reported live via his Twitter feed that Board Chairman Eric Fly once again confirmed this was a direct attack on Sunday hunting.

Board Chairman: Not sure how we can just "snatch out" the gunfire section of the ordinance. Goes back to Sunday hunting concerns by county.
— Mike Campbell (@itsthesoup) May 16, 2014

Fly: Noise ordinance was created to keep people from shooing next to houses on Sundays. "If removed, how are we gonna protect people?"
— Mike Campbell (@itsthesoup) May 16, 2014

After discussion closed the Board voted by emergency ordinance to repeal the section of the noise ordinance that banned shooting on Sunday.  That repeal is in effect for 60 days and the Board has that long to hold another public hearing on permanently repeal that part of the ordinance.  VSSA will continue to monitor this situation and keep members and gun owners posted.

Hat Tip Mike Campbell with the Sussex-Surry Dispatch.

NSSF Honors Matt O'Brien for Efforts for Helping Make Sunday Hunting a Reality

From the Free Lance-Star:

Last week, NSSF honored O’Brien’s dedication and commitment at a reception in Richmond that included many of the Sunday hunting supporters who worked so hard for passage.

“This was the first time NSSF has given such an award. Matt’s work was what made me want to find a way to recognize him. The only other award we give each year is Legislator of the Year. I envision this to become a yearly award for a very worthy recipient,” McGuigan said, adding “I’m not totally sure we will have someone each year to measure up to what Matt did.”

Congratulations Matt, and all Virginia hunters who now have the option to hunt on Sunday if they own or know someone that will allow them to hunt on private property.

Can Common Ground be Found on Sunday Hunting?

Many probably think that question was answered with the passage of a limited Sunday Hunting bill this year but they would be wrong. Lee Tolliver writes on the subject in the Virginian Pilot and notes divide in the hunting community still is strong. One if the main opponents of Sunday Hunting is a group representing those who hunt with dogs. And while the new law prohibits hunting with dogs in Sunday, this group still would have opposed Sunday hunting even if it had allowed bill hunting with dogs.

Some traditions die hard, but prohibiting hunting on Sunday is one that should die. This year's bill signed into law by Governor McAuliffe was a good compromise.

McAuliffe Says He will Sign Sunday Hunting Bill

Yesterday, the Virginia Senate passed the House bill allowing hunting on private property on Sunday.  The News and Advance reports that a spokesman for Governor Terry McAuliffe said the Governor will sign the bill.  This is good news and a change of position as reported by the Free Lance Star earlier this year:

The last two governors said they supported Sunday hunting on private land, but candidate McAuliffe stated in our interview with him last October that he favored the status quo. Sources, though, say a veto would be unlikely.

The news of the bill's passage cheered the pro-Sunday hunting folks who have been working on this for years, but really stepped up their lobbying this year.  This victory was achieved when they were able to get the bill assigned to the House Agriculture Committee instead of the killing field of the subcommittee that had deep-sixed the bill the last several years.  The News and Advance caught of with one hunter that will be impacted by the bill and he sounded happy about the vote:

The vote cheered hunters in the Roanoke Valley, including Daniel Hartman, 16, an avid baseball player who was looking at guncleaning supplies at Roanoke’s Sportsman’s Warehouse on Tuesday evening with his father. 

“Once I started playing travel ball, I noticed I wasn’t getting much hunting time,” said Daniel, who lives in Roanoke County and does much of his hunting on family land.

There is possibly another benefit this new law will have not only for hunters, but all Virginians, courtesy of Mark Holmberg at CBS6 back in November..

Sunday Hunting at the General Assembly

Just before Crossover, the State Senate passed the Senate companion to the Sunday Hunting legislation that had already passed the House of Delegates. Yesterday, I spoke with Cam Edwards on NRANews' Cam and Company on The Sportsman Channel.

Sunday Hunting Bill Moves to House Floor

This morning, on a vote of 12-10, the House Agriculture Committee reported HB 1237, Delegate Todd Gilbert's bill to allow Sunday Hunting on private property.  It is expected that the bill be be debated in the full House of Delegates on Monday.  This is a good first step but the opposition will have the entire weekend to work members in an attempt to attach amendments to weaken or kill the bill.  Please contact you member of the House of Delegates and urge them to vote yes on this important property rights and pro-hunting piece of legislation.

Virginia Sunday Hunting Hearing Wednesday In Full House Agriculture Committee

This Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. HB 1237,a bill to allow Sunday hunting on private land, will be heard in the House Committee on Agriculture. This is the first time the bill has been set to be heard in the full committee, having been killed in Subcommittee with litte to no hearing in the past.  This is an issue that has divided  the hunting community in Virginia for years, with as many hunters supporting the ban as opposing it.  There is a large portion of the hound hunting community that has worked hard to keep the ban.  This bill however is a property rights issue.  It only allows hunting on Sunday on private property so it would not affect those who like to have Sundays to ride horses or bird watching, because the hunting would not be done on public land.

 

VSSA supports lifting the ban on Sunday hunting.  Twenty years ago there were a half million hunters in Virginia.  Now, there are about half that number.  With the economy being what it is, many people work two jobs and have to work Saturdays.  Allowing Sunday hunting on private property would go a long way to giving those folks an option to hunt.

 

We need your help to contact Delegates on the committee as soon as possible and tell them you support Sunday hunting on private land. Every hunter should support this measure if they want new generations to have the option to hunt in the future. Hunting license sales have dropped from 500,000 in the mid-1970s to 300,000 today. If we don't increase license sales, our hunting tradition will be lost. The only way to promote license sales is by creating more time for hunters to hunt.

Whether you speak to the legislator, an aide, leave a voicemail or write a letter, be firm but polite. Tell them why you want Sunday hunting, in your own words. And be certain to mention that if the number of hunters continue to decline, the sport will be soon be gone, and that Sunday hunting is the best means available to bring more people into the sport. Get your family and friends to call/email/write as well. It makes a big difference.

Please contact delegates on the committee today!
Urge them to support Sunday hunting!

• Delegate Tony Wilt - Rockingham County, Harrisonburg City
  Phone: (804) 698-1026, Email: DelTWilt@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Charles Poindexter - Franklin County, Henry County, Patrick County
  Phone: (804) 698-1009, DelCPoindexter@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Matthew Fariss - Appomattox, Buckingham, Campbell and Nelson Counties
  Phone: (804) 698-1059, Email: DelMFariss@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Daniel Marshall - Henry County, Pittsylvania County, Danville City
  Phone: (804) 698-1014, Email: DelDMarshall@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Robert Orrock - Caroline and Spotsylvania Counties
  Phone: (804) 698-1054, Email: DelBOrrock@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Thomas Wright - Amelia, Cumberland, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg and Nottoway Counties
  Phone: (804) 698-1061, Email: DelTWright@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Edward Scott - Culpeper, Madison and Orange Counties
  Phone: (804) 698-1030, Email: DelEScott@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Luke Torian - Prince William County
  Phone: (804) 698-1052, Email: DelLTorian@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate R. Lee Ware - Chesterfield, Fluvanna, Goochland and Powhatan Counties
  Phone: (804) 698-1065, Email: DelLWare@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Brenda Pogge - James City and York County
  Phone: (804) 698-1096, Email: DelBPogge@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Barry Knight - Chesapeake and Virginia Beach
  Phone: (804) 698-1081, Email: DelBKnight@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate James Edmunds - Campbell, Charlotte, Halifax, Prince Edward Counties
  Phone: (804) 698-1060, Email: DelJEdmunds@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Will Morefield - Bland, Buchanan, Russell and Tazewell Counties
  Phone: (804) 698-1003, Email: DelJMorefield@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Michael Webert (co-patron) - Culpeper, Fauquier, Rappahannock, Warren Counties
  Phone: (804) 698-1018, Email: DelMWebert@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Margaret Ransone - Caroline, King George, Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond and Westmoreland Counties
  Phone: (804) 698-1099, Email: DelMRansone@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Jackson Miller - Prince William County, City of Manassas
  Phone: (804) 698-1050, Email: DelJMiller@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Ken Plum - Fairfax County
  Phone: (804) 698-1036, Email: DelKPlum@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Lynwood Lewis - Accomack, Northampton, Norfolk and Virginia Beach
  Phone: (804) 698-1000, Email: DelLLewis@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate David Bulova - Fairfax City and County
  Phone: (804) 698-1037, Email: DelDBulova@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Mark Sickles - Fairfax County
  Phone: (804) 698-1043, Email: DelMSickles@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Luke Torian - Prince William County
  Phone: (804) 698-1052, Email: DelLTorian@house.virginia.gov
  
• Delegate Mark Keam - Fairfax County
  Phone: (804) 698-1035, Email: DelMKeam@house.virginia.gov

Virginia Hunter Numbers Continue to Decline as National Numbers Show Increase

River Mud has an interesting post looking at this trend.  He notes that preliminary US Fish and Wildlife Service numbers posted for hunting license sales in the United States show a 9% increase nationwide,  while Virginia has continued a downward spiral, with a 5% decrease in Virginia:

Prominently featured in that data is a somewhat surprising 5 year, 9% nationwide increase in the number of licensed hunters nationwide.  A quick study of the data shows that this rise has corresponded temporally with efforts to increase hunter access and recruitment in several heavily populated states such as Maryland, New Jersey, and New York.   Their market research (yes, those states spend money on this stuff) shows not only that hunters spend money when they travel, but often, they bring non-hunters with them, who spend even more money!

He includes a chart that shows the historical decline in Virginia hunter numbers.  In 1968, there were over a 1/2 million licensed hunters.  In 2012, there were a little over 300,000, a little over half of what we had 45 years ago.  This has real consequences as hunting license fees directly support the Virginia Game Department (VDGIF) as well as contibutes to the formula of federal funding that comes to the Commonwealth:

Does VDGIF know that they have a hunter problem that fully translates into a potential 66% decrease in their operating budget?

He makes the pitch for how Sunday Hunting could assist in reversing this trend (a very touchy subject among some in the hunting community).  River Mud promises additional posts on the topic, including DGIF's role in the declining numbers.  If you are interested preserving our hunting traditions, it is an interesting read.

Hat tip to Matt O'Brien.

Southhampton County and Muzzleloader Hunting

Bob Rudzik writes in Tidewater News on the topic of the Southamption County ban on muzzleloader hunting.

Dallas Jones, the chairman of the Southampton County Board of Supervisors, as well as the county attorney and numerous others have told me that if I feel so strongly about muzzleloader hunting, I need to work on public opinion and gain a majority vote.

Mr. Rudzik has written before on the topic.  He views the restriction as a violation of the right to determine how one wishes to hunt on his land. 

If someone can explain to me a logical reason for maintaining the shotgun-only regulations, I am willing to listen and possibly even change my stand. So far, I have not found one such logical reason, and I have found many willing to talk rationally in support of the landowners regaining their rights.

He's right, just as the ban on Sunday Hunting is a property rights issue.  This year VSSA and a coalition of sportsmen groups attempted to lift the ban on Sunday hunting on private property.  The House Agriculture Natural Resources subcommittee decided to lay the bills on the table.

Apparently the muzzleloader issue divides hunters in Southhamption much as the Sunday hunting issue does statewide.  Let's hope that Southhampton County will lift their ban on hunting with a muzzleloader and that we will soon lift the ban on Sunday hunting.

Sunday Hunting Dead for 2012

Yesterday the House Natural Resources Subcommittee of The House Agriculture Committee tabled SB 464, a bill that would have allowed hunting on Sunday on private property by the property owner or with the permission of the property owner.  The subcommittee had taken similar action with a House companion bill earlier in the session.

With this action, Virginia will remain one of six states that bans hunting on Sunday for at least one more year.
There was positive news in that for the first time, a bill than at least partially rolled back the ban made it out of one house of the legislature.

Sunday Hunting in House Agriculture Subcommittee

House Bill 369, a bill to allow Sunday Hunting on private property by, or with permission of, the land owner, will be heard tonight in House Agriculture, Chesapeake and Natural Resources Subcommitte #3 (Natural Resources). The bill faces a more hostile welcome than it received in the State Senate. It is hoped that the fact that the bill acknowledges the concerns of land owners by restricting hunting on private property with the permission of the land owner, and restricts the use of dogs to hunt deer on Sundays, that it will have a better chance of making it to the full committee than it has in the past.

An identical bill passed the State Senate last week.

Sunday Hunting Bill Passes

SB 464, a bill that allows Sunday Hunting on private property, by the owner or with the permission of the owner, and without dogs to hunt deer, just passed the State Senate by a vote of 29-11.  The bill now moves to the House.

Sunday Hunting Set for Final Senate Vote Today

It appears that Sunday Hunting (SB464) is set to pass the State Senate today.  The bill was amended to add that no hunting shall be within 250 of a place of worship on Sunday, then the bill was Engrossed by a vote of 25-14.  The bill is on Third Reading for final passage today.

Sunday Hunting Set for Senate Vote Wednesday

This Wednesday, January 25, the state Senate is expected to consider Senate Bill 464, legislation that would remove the prohibition on Sunday hunting in the Commonwealth of Virginia by alllowing hunting on private land and public waters.  It prohibits the use of dogs for deer hunting on Sunday. SB464 was reported out of Senate Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources Committee by an 11 to 4 vote last week. While it is all that many would have hoped for, it is a giant step forward.

At a time when the number of hunting licenses purchased in Virginia are 1/2 what they were 20 years ago, and many Virginians are not able to get into the woods on Saturdays due to work or family obligations, Sunday is the only day available for some hunters.  Additionally, allowing hunting on Sunday will be a boast for the Commonwealth's economy. NRA-ILA notes that comprehensive research from the National Shooting Sports Foundation shows that allowing hunting on Sundays would generate a total annual economic impact estimated at $296 million and create 3,927 jobs. All of this would be spurred by simply eliminating words from state statute books (the current prohibition), not spending taxpayer dollars on some pie-in-the-sky scheme.

Please contact your state Senator today, and respectfully urge him or her to support this critical pro-hunting legislation and extend Virginians the same privileges and opportunities that hunters in the vast majority of states already enjoy. To locate your state Senator and their contact information, please click here.