Virginia: House Passes Sunday Hunting Expansion

Today, the House voted 69-28 to pass Senate Bill 8, to allow Sunday hunting on public lands. It will soon go to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s desk for consideration. Please contact Gov. Youngkin and ask him to sign SB 8 into law.

Senate Bill 8 expands hunting opportunities in Virginia by allowing Sunday hunting on public lands, while keeping the prohibition against hunting within 200 yards of a place of worship on Sundays. This ensures that hunters have the time to continue hunting, or to introduce new hunters, and also ensures that public land may be enjoyed by those who fund it.

One of the biggest challenges that hunters face today is access to land. Our modern lifestyles of work and school essentially mean that most working adults and their children can only hunt on the weekends. Hunters and gun owners fund conservation efforts and maintenance of state public hunting land through hunting license fees and Pittman-Robertson excise taxes on firearms, ammunition, and archery equipment. Despite this, Sunday hunting is still not permitted on public lands in Virginia, leaving Saturday as the only day for most hunters to be able to get out into the field.

NRA thanks bill patron, Senator Chap Petersen (D-34), and Speaker Todd Gilbert, for their strong leadership guiding this bill through the General Assembly. Again, please contact Gov. Youngkin and ask him to sign SB 8 into law.