LUMBERTON — A bill being considered by members of the state House is pitting property rights against religious freedom.
With the passage of House Bill 640, titled the Outdoor Heritage Act, North Carolina would join 39 other states that allow hunting on Sundays. The bill would allow Sunday hunting only on private property with the permission of the landowner. Currently, archery, falconry and skeet shooting are allowed on Sundays in North Carolina.
Proponents say property owners should be able to do whatever they like on their land, while critics say they don’t want the sound of gunshots punctuating a day of worship.
”Absolutely not. Sunday is a day of peace and quietness, not hearing guns blasting,” Stephaney Watson wrote on The Robesonian’s Facebook page in response to a post asking if readers favor Sunday hunting.
“Yes!!! It is the owners land. Some people only have Saturday or Sunday off work. Hunting is relaxation for some people and it provides food for their families,” Angie Lewis Adams wrote.
Sunday hunting may be a tough sell in Robeson County, where the Board of Commissioners recently passed a resolution opposing the Outdoor Heritage Act. Commissioner Roger Oxendine, who requested the resolution, said people should be spending their Sundays in church.
Rep. Ken Waddell, who represents Columbus, Bladen and part of Robeson counties, says he hasn’t made up his mind about the proposal just yet. Waddell serves as the vice chairman of the House Wildlife Resources Committee, which passed the bill on April 15 in a 10-3 vote. Waddell, a Democrat, was filing a different bill and was not able to vote with the committee.
“I know a lot of the groups down here don’t want Sunday hunting in the rural areas,” he said. “It could be a boon for tourism here but it also goes back to personal property rights.” Several House members have also said that the residents of their rural districts would not favor the bill.
Waddell says the residents he’s spoken with are largely split on the issue. Aside from those in favor, some invoke the right to worship in their opposition, while others simply want peace and quiet before the weekend ends.
Waddell favors a provision in the bill that gives liability relief to landowners that grant hunters permission to retrieve dogs from their property. Beyond the more contentious aspects of the bill, Waddell is concerned about enforcing the provisions of the Outdoor Heritage Act and ensuring residents safety.
“Some want it, some don’t. It’s just going to come down to what I feel like is in the best interest and it’s also going to come down to what the vote is,” Waddell said.
Under the proposed bill, hunting of migratory waterfowl on Sunday would still be prohibited as well as deer hunting with dogs and hunting within 300 yards of a church.
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has passed a resolution supporting the bill, saying it would “increase opportunities to enjoy North Carolina’s rich outdoor heritage” and benefit the state’s economy.
“… Expanding hunting methods on Sunday substantially increases the number of hunting days for youths during the school year and provides additional options for hardworking adults with limited weekend hunting opportunities,” the resolution says.
As written, the bill would expand youth opportunity for outdoor recreation through a North Carolina Outdoor Heritage Trust Fund for Youth Outdoor Heritage Promotion, funded by donations made when people purchase hunting and fishing licenses from Wildlife Commission. It would also establish an 11-member Outdoor Heritage Advisory Council, require wildlife enforcement officers to wear body cameras and introduce a “third strike” for hunting on posted property.
The Outdoor Heritage Act was referred to the House committee on Rules and Operations on Tuesday.
Sarah Willets can be reached at 910-816-1974 or on Twitter @Sarah_Willets.
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