Copied from a thread on the beach and water forum

[Anonymous]

It seems someone has submitted an anti-detecting bill in VA. It is not a good bill for us. If it passes the way it is, it will substantially hurt relic and coin hunting here.
HOUSE BILL NO. 2078 Virginia
I've read several of these bills now and they seem to all try to do the same thing.
1. give the state archeologist as much authority as possible.
2. prohibit detecting on all state property and some local too.
3. try to restrict detecting on private property in small ways.
4. make detecting much more difficult.
This bill outlaws all detecting on state lands. This means the beach will be illegal. You heard that, right? VA beach etc ...
It also allows the state archeologist to declare archeological sites on private property and inlist the aid of the property owner. This means they may find out where you like to dig and declare it an historical site and digging there becomes an instant crime. oops. Does anyone need to inform you first?
The bill would require everyone who digs on private property to get written permission. You know how hard it is to get permision to dig, try getting written permission. It is even harder to get. People don't want the liability or hassel.
It will be a crime to dig without written permission.
Is the owner liable if he gives you permission in writing for a protected site? Just wait till one of those gets into the newspaper and try to get permission.
The bill makes it a crime not to have written permission.
It also makes it a felony to sell more than $200 of relics in 90 days. A felony? Yep. $200 isn't much. A gold coin can exceed $1000, easy.
Its a bad news bill.

 

[Anonymous]

A classic example of how many rights are slowly being taken away from the citizens. Unchecked, soon we will have none. Somebody needs to raise some hell.
Bill

 

[Anonymous]

[No message]

 

[Anonymous]

John, if you do some in depth research into Canada's protection of historical sites, you will discover that we have many more regulations in Canada then in United States. for instance:
In United States, you can hunt civil war sites with permission on private propery. Not so in Canada. If you hunt any private property with any signifinant historical artifacts, they all belong to the Crown, and if you get caught, you could be in a lot of trouble. Some of the Maximum fines are $20,000.00.
ALL Forts, Hudson Bay Posts, fur Trader Sites and RCMP deteactchment sites are all historical sites, and they do not have to be posted as such. Again, if you get caught by a peace officer or archeologist on these sites, you may be investigated. I know of one instance in Canada where an incredible find was made by someone metal detecting. It was turned in for recognition and identification. The finder was surprised to find himself being charged. The Crown put the onus on the accused that he knew that the location he was searching was a historical site and was not supposed to be there. We have to be careful in this hobby that we all work together, and not pass on misleading information to others that we can hunt whereever we please. It is just not so in Canada.