Take Action Today! Connecticut sportsmen should contact their state legislator and ask them to vote YES on House Bill 5310. Connecticut members can find their state legislator by using the Sportsmen’s Alliance Legislative Action Center.
Rep. Ricky Hayes (R-Putnam) has introduced legislation (HB 5310) that would open private and public lands to hunting on Sunday for rifle and shotgun seasons. Current Connecticut law only allows Sunday hunting with archery equipment on private lands in deer management zones. HB 5310 has been assigned to the Joint Committee on Environment where it awaits a hearing.
Opening additional days for hunting provides people expanded opportunities to harvest their favorite game species, while also creating additional revenue to local economies by purchasing ammunition, hunting supplies, food, fuel and other hunting related activities. In fact, according to a report by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), allowing Sunday hunting would bring an estimated $2.2 billion in additional economic activity to the eight states that still have regulations banning all or certain types of hunting on Sundays.
The neighboring states of New York and Rhode Island do not ban hunting on Sunday, and as recently as last year, West Virginia and Delaware removed their state’s restrictions on Sunday hunting.
“There are currently only eight states left in the nation that still restrict Sunday hunting,” said Luke Houghton, associate director of state services for Sportsmen’s Alliance. “Connecticut hunters do not deserve to be treated as second-class citizens who are restricted from public lands that are purchased and managed with their money on the only days they have off work.”
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.