The Associated Press

A longtime lobbyist for the National Rifle Association has stepped down from the job because he can’t support the group’s endorsement of Sunday hunting in North Carolina.

The association has urged its state members to speak out in favor of removing the ban, which has been in place since 1869. In a letter to state lawmakers, Joe McClees citied his religious belief that Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest for opposing the proposal.

"The reason we do not have Sunday hunting in North Carolina is because Sunday is the Christian Sabbath," McClees wrote last month to say he and his wife, Henri, were resigning as the group’s lobbyists. "This issue is not about displaying the Ten Commandments; it is about obeying one of them."

Current state rules only permit Sunday hunting on lands held exclusively by the federal government on military installations. The state Wildlife Resources Commission is taking public comments on the idea before sending a report to Gov. Mike Easley and the General Assembly, which would have to approve a bill to make any changes. (more…)