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1995 SESSION

LD0046100
HOUSE BILL NO. 1687
Offered January 17, 1995
A BILL to amend and reenact § 29.1-519 of the Code of Virginia, relating to equipment on hunting weapons; penalty.
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Patron--Abbitt
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Referred to Committee on Conservation and Natural Resources
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 29.1-519 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 29.1-519. Guns, pistols, revolvers, etc., which may be used or prohibited; penalty.

A. All wild birds and wild animals may be hunted with the following weapons unless shooting is expressly prohibited:

1. A shotgun not larger than ten gauge;

2. An automatic-loading or hand-operated repeating shotgun capable of holding not more than three shells the magazine of which has been cut off or plugged with a one-piece filler incapable of removal through the loading end, so as to reduce the capacity of the gun to not more than three shells at one time in the magazine and chamber combined;

3. A rifle; or

4. A bow and arrow.

B. A pistol, muzzle-loading pistol or revolver may be used to hunt nuisance species of birds and animals between sunrise and sunset except over inland waters, and raccoons during the legal hunting hours for said species.

C. In the counties west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and counties east of the Blue Ridge where rifles of a caliber larger than .22 caliber may be used for hunting wild birds and animals, game birds and animals may be hunted with pistols or revolvers firing cartridges rated in manufacturers' tables at 350 foot pounds of energy or greater and under the same restrictions and conditions as apply to rifles, provided that no cartridge shall be used with a bullet of less than .23 caliber. In no event shall pistols or revolvers firing cartridges rated in manufacturers' tables at 350 foot pounds of energy or greater be used if rifles of a caliber larger than .22 caliber are not authorized for hunting purposes.

D. The use of muzzle-loading pistols and .22 caliber rimfire handguns is permitted for hunting small game where .22 caliber rifles are permitted.

E. The hunting of wild birds and wild animals with fully automatic firearms, defined as a machine gun in § 18.2-288, is prohibited.

F. Hunting during any special muzzle-loading season with a muzzle-loading gun equipped with sights, other than open or peep sights (iron sights), is prohibited.

FG. The hunting of wild birds or wild animals with (i) weapons other than those authorized by this section or (ii) weapons or equipment that have been prohibited by this section shall be punishable as a Class 3 misdemeanor.