Well-said. But, as far as hunting goes......you may be surprised what you can do (lawfully) on your own land (at least in NC).
That's not technically true.. hunting being a privilege and not a right. That question would simply be answered by your political philosophy.. which differs from one man to another. I mean.. yes.. in today's society you would call it a privilege since no actual law exists to give you that right. But survival.. which hunting was originally about.. is only granted by the Above.. not man. At one time hunting was a means of living (surviving).. thus a natural right of any man.. therefore not a privilege. Each had a right to hunt to live in this country.. it was unalienable. We didn't want what the europeans had where only the monarchy hunted. But of course.. the world has changed.. animals have seasons.. population control numbers.. etc.. all regulated by the state. And we can buy our meats at the super-market.. which makes hunting less survival like. So... it really doesn't fall into any category (right or privilege) since it really has no technical doctrine on it.. whether from God or man. However.. I suppose you could argue that since the govt owns and regulates the animals and since we don't need to hunt for survival anymore.. it's a privilege to hunt them. But.. philosophically speaking.. the distinction of whether hunting is a privilege or a right in America would depend on who's politics your following... ie.. Jeffersonians vrs. Hamiltonians... So.. whether you call hunting a right or a privilege makes really no difference.. its simply a philosophy you or your neighbor might have. But you can argue either way on this issue. I realize none of this has anything to do with Sunday hunting.. I was just viewing the original posters philosophy.. which would follow Jeffersons... although his own (the thread starter) is slightly more skewed for his own reasons. Sorry to hear you still cannot hunt on Sunday's... bummer.
As much as I hate to say this, I can't find it in our US Constitution where it gives me the right to hunt. Oddly enough, though, it IS a right (hunting) in several states (now). I guess you need to check your state's bill of rights.
Your not getting it.. as usual. The argument of privilege vrs. right didn't have to once exist (in hunting).. since it was unalienable. Meaning.. no constitution amendment needed.. it was a natural right to live and survive. You don't need laws from man to protect everything.. some things are granted at birth. (Of course not every man believes this.. which is another philosophical distinction). These are ALL political philosophies.. nothing more. Your argument towards privilege only holds ground because you are giving the right to man to control your law.. and this is a political philosophy.. nothing more. The original thread starter is (although skewed) arguing what he believes.. and its his right to argue that. Look at it this way... It's a privilege to drive.. its not a natural right.. a right given by your creator. It's given by man. Hunting (originally) would follow under natural right.. a right given by creator to live. So.. its still simply how one man views it. Privilege would follow under a privilege to hunt mans animals.. since they regulate them etc etc. But obvioulsy this wasn't always true. And... just because the state puts something into their books doesn't mean its correct. Man is not without its own agenda. Slavery wasn't right either and we all know how that one played out. But.. some philosphies actually believed freedom of the black man was a privilege.. not a right. And the list goes on. Again.. I am on no side here.. I'm simply giving the bear bones reasons why you could call hunting (in its purist form) a privilege or a right. It simply depends on how you view it. Whose political philosophy you follow.
Let your tax dollars do the talking. If you look at things objectively, hunting is a multi-billion dollar industry, and the states are racking up millions in sales tax revenue from the hunting public. If I were you guys, I'd start a grassroots effort to make sure I didn't spend a single dollar on hunting-related merchandise within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Buy everything online, tax-free, or go across the state line to buy your gear. (TECHNICALLY, you probably still have to pay the use tax on merchandise that you bring into the Commonwealth, and what you do with that is a personal decision...) Your best bet for seeing a change implemented would be to hit them where it hurts - their budget. Granted, probably only 1% of the license-holding hunting public would participate, and it probably wouldn't accomplish a blessed thing, but at least you'd sleep better knowing that you're doing your part. If the local sport shops and big box sporting goods retailers started taking a beating with decreased revenues, their voices would be heard. I'm a big fan of the boycott, even though they rarely work. They sure do make you feel better.
Nice move mr. moderator. I follow man's law, because I live in a place where he can put me in jail if I don't. Arguing God's law against man's law is sorta futile. It's kinda ridiculous, really. "Man" has proven he doesn't give a crap about some of God's laws. But, he'll stick you in the pokey if you don't follow his.,.......God or not.
I've never lived or hunted in a state that has a ban on Sunday hunting. Are you allowed to look for downed game on Sundays? Sorry for the hijack....
With a weapon? Not even sketchy. No. Now, in NC....we have a couple things to combat this (NOW): 1. Bowhunting is legal on private grounds in NC.....NOW. 2. Our GW's were always pretty understanding in these cases. But, if they had wanted to hold a hard line..........
Starting grass roots effort as well as contacting NO voters to find out why the NO and what I need to do to change it. Thanks for the debate. I will add that rights are not listed in the Constitution meaning just because its not listed in the Bill of Rights doesn't not mean it is not a right. See amendment 9: "Rights not listed are not necessarily denied."
For those in VA you should know one of the biggest voices against Sunday hunting in VA is the VA Hunting Dog Alliance. They have a membership of 12,000 + and a strong voice in Richmond. From what I've read two of the main oppositions voice were theirs and the HSUS, go figure. Below is their stance: Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance (http://vahda.org/index.html) Sunday Hunting The Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance has adopted a position opposing hunting on Sunday for many reasons. It is first and foremost an expression of the vast majority of our membership, even though all may not subscribe to all of the stated reasons in this paper. 1. The first and foremost reason is our faith. The Fourth Commandment is reason enough to oppose hunting on Sunday. "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. We also recognize that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 2. We believe that all can use a day of rest. It is a time to recover and reflect. You may look for lost dogs or game animals, declared by the law to be hunting, but the retrieval of lost sheep is consistent with the gospel. We believe that the hunted also benefit from the day of rest. 3. We believe landowners want a day to rest. To enjoy the quiet of their property, absent their guests of the rest of the week, no matter how welcome they may be at other times. Sunday is a day of reflection. 4. We believe that even the most supportive families would benefit from this positive statement of family values. 5. Other outdoor users appreciate a day to themselves. Without this day, they may turn against the selfish hunters who demand hunting on Sunday and place all hunting at risk. Remember all hunting is not done on large private tracts. 6. Virginia has the most generous limits on deer kill of any state in the nation. No hunter, no matter how they plead otherwise, is so deprived as not to be able to find an opportunity to hunt during the long seasons. We acknowledge that some of our number have a limited number of vacation days, but believe that resulting public opinion would inescapably be negative, and give antihunters a big hammer to bludgeon us with. 7. Modern wildlife management bases its hunting seasons on range carrying capacities, species reproductive rates and mortality rates. One significant factor in determining any hunting season is the number of animals harvested by hunters. The number of animals harvested by hunters is determined by man-days a field times the success rate. Most studies have shown that typically 40% of total man-hours of hunting occur on Saturday. The addition of Sunday would be certain to require the eventual adjustment of the seasons for most if not all species that are hunted. This would result in the eventual shortening of the hunting season. The Virginia Hunting Dog Alliance acknowledges that hunters are coming to Virginia from other areas having Sunday hunting. Many areas allow other practices that have also long been against the law in Virginia such as hunting over bait and hunting big game animals in small enclosures. We see no reason to support hunting on Sunday in the Commonwealth of Virginia at this time. Anyone who knows me or has read many of my posts knows I am not opposed to hunting with hounds but I am from this day forward opposed to this group. I take no enjoyment from saying that as I'm sure the anti groups are loving the fact that Sunday hunting now puts hunter against hunter. However it is simple to me, if you can't stand and support me then how can you expect me to do the same. With all of the trials and tribulations dog hunting in VA has been facing of late you would think they would not want to alienate their hunting bretheren, they have done just that and many hunters on the fence about dog hunting will now second guess any support for this group. Forget the fact hat I could chew their reasoning up and spit it in their face with little to no effort, what a joke.
I am disappointed that the VA Hunting Dog Alliance has taken this stance, and surprised. Beyond that confused at the logic to support this stance. Just to clarify followers of this thread: The Sabbath is a Jewish Holy Day that is from Friday night till Saturday night, since they site the 4th Commandment in the Torah. Further more the Christian bible states to not judge a man on which day he dedicates to God (Romans 14:5) (married to a pastors Daughter ) I would also make the point that Landowners that want to rest and not have hunters on Sunday can already do that. BUT as a land owner that wants to hunt on Sunday I can not. The limit of game killed is not related to the days a person hunts, or how many days they hunt, If I have 3 deer stamps on Saturday I have 3 on Sunday just the same?! So that whole argument is silly. Ultimately this is an issue of individual freedoms to do what it already deemed legal. I just think VA Hunters have been assigned second class status to other fisherman, mountin-bikers, hikers, etc... Who can all partake on Sunday. Heck you can even hunt Squirrel on Sunday?! It makes no sense, and as a hunter, father, and landowner it bothers me greatly to have my freedoms disrespected. I do not want state government dictating my morals obligations, I let Yeshua (Jesus) dictate mine. Please note no anger in my post, much love to all!
So, where do lines get drawn? Personal decision? Can a US citizen just "declare" what he feels are his individual "rights"?
I don't think there is a hard and fast line. I think what you might call apparent wisdom would prevail to some degree, and the normal " As long as its not hurting anyone else" mantra. But there could never be a document that outlined all of our rights, it would constantly be getting edited... added to... etc.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Am I missing something???????????
I'm cool with having one day a week as being a no hunting day. I vote for Saturday. That would mean for some people here in Virginia that they would not be able to hunt on either Saturday or Sunday. Maybe the shoe should be on the other foot for awhile. So cool, give wildlife a day to "rest' and allow the nature lovers (who pay no taxes toward maintaining anything outdoors) a day to chill in the woods...and that day should be Saturday. One vote for no Saturday hunting.
