Charles City County is considering making revisions to its hunting regulations that could negatively impact hunting with rifles. Such a decision could eliminate precious hunting opportunities and would discourage hunters from taking to the woods to pass their hunting heritage on to the next generation and to help manage Virginia’s wildlife.
Hunting with a rifle has only been legal in Charles City County for the past two years, and just last month, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VGIF) testified before the County that there have been no firearms-related hunting fatalities in the last decade. There have been four shooting-related incidents. However, none involved rifles. VGIF officials are the experts regarding hunting safety and scientific game management practices and have actively represented hunter interests through the years. These two factors alone should be used to shape hunting regulations in the Commonwealth.
The Pennsylvania Legislature recently commissioned a study to determine the safety of center-fire rifle bullets as compared to shotgun slugs in hunting scenarios. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the study conducted with the help of the U.S. Army found that shotgun slugs travel farther than rifle bullets in many real-world hunting scenarios. This, along with the county’s remarkable hunter safety record, illustrates the political nature of this proposed hunting prohibition.
Personal bias, political motivations, and safety guesswork have no place in determining what Virginia’s hunters should be prohibited from doing while attempting to practice and pass-on their time-honored heritage.
It is critical that hunters attend the Charles City County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, March 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Government & School Board Administration Building, 10900 Courthouse Road, Charles City, Va 23030 to oppose changes to the county ordinances governing the use of rifles for deer hunting. In the meantime, please contact each member of the Charles City County Board of Supervisors and strongly encourage them to refrain from making any changes to county regulations that have proven to be successful. Also, please be sure to pass this information along to your family, friends, and fellow hunters.
Timothy W. Cotman, Sr.
Sherri M. Bowman - Vice Chairman
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (804) 652-4701
Fax: (804) 829-5819
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (804) 652-4701
Fax: (804) 829-5819
Gilbert A. Smith – Chairman
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (804) 652-4701
Fax: (804) 829-5819