Virginia Gov. Youngkin Signs Sunday Hunting Bill Into Law

The New Law Vastly Expands Hunting Opportunities in the Commonwealth

NSSF^® is excited to announce Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) has signed the pro-hunting Senate Bill 8 into law. The newly signed law will repeal Virginia’s blue laws relating to Sunday hunting on public land, opening nearly 2 million acres of public land for Sunday hunting.

Since 2014, Sunday hunting has been legal on private land in Virginia; however, this leaves much of the population without hunting opportunities on Sunday. The current law allows only those who can afford to buy or lease private land the ability to hunt on Sunday. With access being one of the greatest barriers to getting new people involved in hunting, this new law will help remove one of those obstacles to recruiting new hunters or retaining existing hunters, and creating opportunities for much of the population who don’t have the means to access or afford privately-owned land. This new law will take effect on July 1, 2022.

NSSF strongly supported Senate Bill 8 throughout the legislative process, but couldn’t have done it without the support of other members of the Sunday Hunting Coalition, including Delta Waterfowl, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Safari Club International, the National Rifle Association, and others. More importantly, NSSF thanks the bill sponsor, Senator Chap Petersen (D-34, Speaker of the House of Delegates Todd Gilbert (R-15), and Governor Glenn Youngkin.