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enabling legislation that allows local government to prohibit hunting in distances up to 300 feet from apliblic road. But the problem is how to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that someone driving three miles an hour down a wooded back road or even parked by the roadside is hunting. We have a state law that outlaws the discharge of a firearm within 300 feet of a state road. Currently, this statute is included in the criminal law section of the Virginia Code, enforceable only by state police and sheriff’s departments. There is legislation before the General Assembly this session to give game wardens full police powers, powers that would enable them to make arrests for discharging a fire arm within 300 feet of a road. But how is one warden going to adequately patrol 274 square miles, looking for violations, when the combined force of the sheriff’s department and state police haven’t had sufficient man power to do the job?
We applaud the steps taken by the supervisors in supporting recommendations made by the special committee on hunting abuses. But there’s more to be done.
We need to work for the passage of a statewide cased gun law. We must ask our representatives in Richmond to introduce such legislation. That is the only real solution to the problem of slob hunters. Without a cased gun law, deer season will continue to bring a reign of terror to Rappahannock County.
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