(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania sits on a short list of states that still have “blue laws” banning Sunday hunting.
But growing momentum to lift those restrictions gives advocates reason for optimism.
Sen. Dan Laughlin, R-Erie has announced plans to reintroduce a proposal after Senate Bill 67 nearly made it over the finish line this legislative session.
“Since 2018, I sponsored legislation to repeal this prohibition,” said Laughlin in a press release.
“Through numerous meetings and compromise, the addition of three Sundays was achieved in Senate Bill 147, now Act 107 of 2019,” continued Laughlin. “Although hunters have the opportunity to hunt on three Sundays, I continue to advocate to end the Sunday hunting prohibition.”
The Pennsylvania Game Commission currently permits hunting on three designated Sundays each year, governed by various regulations. Laughlin’s bill would have Pennsylvania join 39 other states with no limits.
According to Laughlin, of the 10 states that, like Pennsylvania, impose restrictions, only two – Maine and Massachusetts – still enforce a complete ban, and the others are far more lenient.
“We know from surveying hunters and potential hunters that the top reason people have walked away from hunting is a lack of time,” he said. “It’s clear allowing hunting on only three Sundays hasn’t provided enough freedom to encourage more people to purchase hunting licenses.”
“Hunting is a tradition passed down through families, a bonding experience between generations, lifting this restriction will not only preserve this tradition but also ensure that it can be fully enjoyed and passed on to future generations.”
Although safety concerns have been raised with regard to an increase in hunting, Laughlin noted no issues were reported since the three days of Sunday hunting began in 2020, a fact echoed by Mike Kriner, director of government affairs for Pennsylvania Federation of Sportsmen and Conservationists.
Kriner told The Center Square the lack of safety issues helped gain support for the initiative, along with the support of the Farm Bureau – who, until recently, supported the compromise but not the overall repeal.
The federation has over 70,000 members across the state, and Kriner said getting the bill passed is their top legislative priority. He stated they believe it makes sense to allow the Game Commission to decide what the seasons and bag limits would look like.
He expressed optimism that the bill would pass next session, noting they came close this year despite a split legislature.
Most of the sportsman organizations were active in trying to get it done, said Kriner, and they had bipartisan support from Sen. Laughlin, Rep. Mandy Steele, D-Cheswick, and the leadership of all four caucuses.
“It was literally just politics and the schedule kind of running out of time in the fall that kept it from getting done,” he said.
Laughlin’s press release stated that “a broad coalition of stakeholders – including sportsmen and women, as well as the agricultural community – collaborated to address concerns and propose solutions for ending the Sunday hunting ban.”
Those efforts, it says, led to considerations such as implementing an agricultural access permit list, strengthening trespassing laws and allowing big game harvested to mitigate crop damage to be delivered to processors.
“Hunting provides economic benefits to the commonwealth. It supports jobs, generates revenue, and sustains businesses, from sporting goods stores to rural diners,” said Laughlin.
“I want to give the needed latitude to the Game Commission to increase hunting and trapping opportunities, and rebuild interest in hunting, which will end up benefiting all of Pennsylvania,” he added.
