While the whole country may be talking politics, hunters are not typically a group that comes to mind when you think about political activism. Although hunters staying quiet is perhaps a result of anti-hunting criticism and the quiet nature of many involved in the activity, the lack of political voice can perhaps be blamed for outdated laws such as the Sunday Gun Hunting Ban still being on the books.

The Sunday Gun Hunting ban was originally created to increase church attendance alongside other religion-based Sunday bans such as drinking alcohol on Sundays, opening a store for business, and tilling your fields. These laws have been phased out over time throughout much of Canada and the United States, however, a few counties and states have still yet to amend the outdated rule, including the county in Southern Ontario where I grew up.

This outdated ban almost changed in 2018 when one of the counties with the ban still in place, the Municipality of West Grey, attempted to amend the seemingly unpopular law. As reported by Mary Baxter of TVO, the mayor of West Grey briefly, and perhaps hastily, amended the law in March of 2018 only to find himself swarmed with criticism. Those in favour of the ban claimed that Sundays are “for families who want to walk through the bush without the startle of rifles firing and the bolt of wildlife fleeing”. Others claimed that Sunday is usually the one day of the week when they can invite family and friends for visits where they can walk their property with some sense of safety and security. This criticism ultimately resulted in the ban being voted back into law, not even one month after it was lifted.

While it is not clear if this recent example is the reason that other counties have avoided addressing the issue, I feel that hunters should be more vocal about the benefits of Sunday gun hunting and revive the push towards getting this outdated law off the books province-wide. A very common criticism of lifting the hunting ban, as seen above, is that people don’t want to run into gun-wielding hunters while enjoying their public spaces. While this argument may be valid in some areas, nearly all hunting in southern Ontario takes place on private property. This means that even if gun hunting was allowed on Sundays, hunting on your favourite dog walking or biking trail would be just as illegal as when the ban was in place. This misinformed view of hunting laws also shows up in the criticism that gun hunting makes people feel unsafe on their own property, as anyone hunting on your property on any day of the week without permission can be charged with trespassing and can face serious fines whether the ban is in place or not.

Besides the lack of valid criticism to lifting the ban, there are plenty of reasons why this law is doing more harm than good. Besides those with moral objections, one of the most common reasons that people don’t get into hunting is a lack of opportunity. This ban is a major contributor to this lack of opportunity, as people who work or go to school during the week are only given one day per week to get out and hunt. This is amplified in southern Ontario by the fact that some of our gun seasons are already only one week long, such as our Deer season that is limited to just six days thanks to the ban. This not only stops people from buying tags and getting out in the woods, but also closes doors to our future generations who, between school and work, get merely one day per week, and perhaps only a few days per year, to adopt a lifestyle and build a connection with their environment that can last a lifetime.

While there are of course other reasons to lift this ban, such as the economic fact that people are more willing to travel for a weekend than for a one day hunt, I feel that the lack of opportunity this law creates is the most relevant to southern Ontario, and specifically to the area I grew up. Even today I find it very difficult to introduce friends to hunting due to the limited opportunity this outdated ban creates. After dealing with and adjusting to this law for much of my time growing up hunting, I figured that, with hunting season in full swing and politics on the mind of many, this would as good a time as any to try to make a difference and get this obstructive ban lifted for the benefit of current and future hunters in my area. Sending emails to your local representatives is a great start to let your politicians know that this is an issue that matters to you. While these emails may not seem productive in the short-term, it is important that hunters start making their voices heard and stop leaving all the political discussion to those who oppose or do not understand this side of the argument. For more information on where Sunday gun hunting is permitted and where the ban still exists, visit the OHAH’s website at https://www.ofah.org/programs/sunday-gun-hunting/

Sunday Gun Hunting: Why is Southern Ontario Left Out?