Tompkins County Legislature Meeting: 10/01/19 05:30 PM

Governor Daniel D. Tompkins Building Department: Tompkins County Legislature

Ithaca, NY 14850 Category: Public Safety
Functional Category:
TABLED

RESOLUTION NO. m DOC ID: 8710

1 A Resolution in Support of Allowing Deer and Bear Rifle Hunting in

2 Tompkins County
3 WHEREAS, through the Consolidated Laws, Environmental Conservation, Article 11 Fish and Wildlife, Title
4 9 Hunting, Section 11-0907, New York State regulates fishing and hunting within the State, including the rules related
5 to where and when hunters may hunt large game, particularly deer and bear, and the weapons that are allowed in doing
6 so, and
7
8 WHEREAS, New York State provides different rules in different regions and counties of the State to limit the
9 available weapons that may be used for certain types of hunting, with Tompkins County being one of eight out of fifty-
10 four Upstate New York State Counties (excluding Westchester, the Boroughs of New York City and Long Island) that
11 allows deer and bear hunting with bows, crossbows, shotguns, muzzle loaders, and handguns, but not rifles, and
12
13 WHEREAS, because the use of rifles in hunting deer and bear usually entails the use of a scope, providing a
14 clearer view of the target and the surroundings behind the target, rifles appear to be a safer alternative, with a greater
15 likelihood of killing the deer or bear rather than injuring it, in comparison with the other allowed weapons, and
16
17 WHEREAS, a review of the hunting related accidents that have occurred in New York State does not appear to
18 correlate to whether the hunter was using a rifle as opposed to another allowed weapon, but rather to mishandling, slips
19 and falls, accidental discharges or firings, or the failure to adhere to basic hunting safety rules, and
20
21 WHEREAS, in New York State counties that have changed their rules to allow deer and bear hunting with
22 rifles, there has been no corresponding increase in hunting related accidents, and
23
24 WHEREAS, New York State, and in particular Tompkins County, has had a long-term issue with large deer
25 populations due to the lack of natural predators, leading to deer being involved in increased traffic accidents, less
26 healthy herds, more interaction with human populations, and the transmission of disease including chronic wasting
27 disease among deer and as a carrier of the ticks that cause Lyme disease among people, such that control of the
28 population through regulated hunting provides a useful public service, and
29
30 WHEREAS, as a result of the disproportionately high rate of nuisance deer permits requested within Tompkins
31 County, the Department of Environmental Conservation designated parts of Tompkins County as the first Deer
32 Management Focus Area in the State to allow hunters to take additional deer in an attempt to exert further controls on
33 the deer population, and
34
35 WHEREAS, beyond the limitation on not being able to obtain a license to hunt deer or bear with a rifle in
36 Tompkins County, there is otherwise no restriction on the right of a resident to use a rifle for other types of hunting
37 allowed by the New York State regulations, such as rabbits, squirrels, coyotes, and other small game, and
38
39 WHEREAS, in order to obtain a hunting license in New York State, applicants must participate in hunter
40 safety training, and Tompkins County has an active deer hunting safety program with regular classes and active
41 engagement with qualified instructors, such that hunting accidents in Tompkins County and across New York State
42 have substantially decreased over the past decades, and
43
44 WHEREAS, while hunter safety training is a key element in responsible gun ownership, and should be
45 encouraged from a public safety perspective, the New York State rules and regulations do not require such training in
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 Resolution (ID # 8710) Meeting of October 1, 2019

1 order to purchase, own, and use a firearm for non-hunting reasons, including purchasing a rifle or obtaining a pistol
2 permit, where attendance at hunter safety training or other educational classes are not mandated, and
3
4 WHEREAS, there does not appear to be a public safety reason to limit the use of rifles for deer and bear
5 hunting in Tompkins County, now therefore be it
6
7 RESOLVED, on recommendation of the Public Safety Committee, That the Tompkins County Legislature
8 requests its representatives in the Assembly, Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, and in the Senate, Senators Thomas
9 O’Mara, James Seward, and Pamela Helming, support legislation to amend the Consolidated Laws, Environmental
10 Conservation Article 11 Fish and Wildlife, Title 9 Hunting, being Section 11-0907 to authorize the use of rifles within
11 Tompkins County for deer and bear hunting,
12
13 RESOLVED, further, That a copy of this resolution be sent to State Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, and
14 State Senators Thomas O’Mara, James Seward, and Pamela Helming, and Governor Cuomo.
15 SEQR ACTION: TYPE II-26

Updated: 9/24/2019 10:56 AM by Catherine Covert Page 2

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