To the Editor:

The residents of the state of Virginia would like to know why legalizing the use of high-powered rifles to shoot coyotes is considered safe, but using muzzleloaders for deer is considered dangerous.

Especially since a muzzleloader projectile goes about half the speed and is four times the weight of the typical varmint projectile.

It is hypocritical to say that high-powered rifles are safe compared to a muzzleloader.

Big money landowners and politics — just follow the money trail — have continued their hidden agenda of backward game management for years. Of course the landowners own the land, but the game is owned by the state and all of its citizens.

Also, doesn’t this lead to the possibility and temptation to allow deer to be illegally shot with high-powered rifles, which would be hard to enforce.

That’s what the politics of banning the muzzleloaders is all about anyway because it is to control people from killing any big bucks before the gun (dog) season.

So if this law is passed, it will only be another backwards way of thinking for the leaders of Southampton County. When someone gets hurt, if this new law is passed, I will be the first one to say “I told you so.”

And I would like to know what makes this county so different from all the other surrounding counties that allow muzzleloaders and have had no safety issues. At least people who hunt with muzzleloaders don’t hunt by the road!

Mills Braswell
Carrsville