Why should the 99% of Massachusetts residents who do not hunt have to give up our last bastion of weapons-free rural recreation from October through December? Hunting and gun enthusiasts cite the archaic origins of the Sunday ban as a reason for overturning it, pointing out that most other states have already done so.

But Massachusetts has always set its own course, often a higher one. We were the first state to legalize gay marriage and to mandate universal health coverage. Not all centuries-old proscriptions should be automatically dismissed. The Constitution comes to mind.

It feels more urgent than ever now, with conflicts raging in the Middle East and Ukraine, when mass shootings and gun violence have become a new and terrible norm, to move away from, not toward, an increased tolerance for lethal violence.

Assault weapons can’t be used for hunting here, but high-powered rifles are almost as deadly, and kids as young as 12 are allowed to use them. Neither are crossbows an acceptable option, with their very high (54%) wound rate for animals who are shot but not killed. The fact is that even one armed person in the woods can deter folks who just want to enjoy a peaceful autumn stroll. A tiny minority should not be allowed to take away such a precious freedom from the rest of us.

Let’s urge our state representatives to keep Sundays off-limits to hunting, to keep Massachusetts an island of sanity in a gun-crazy world!

Jackie Compton and John Kuzeja

Williamsburg