I live in NY and rabbit season doesn't open in my county until November 1st, but if I had rabbits destroying my garden I'd pop em. I'd also eat them without hesitation, just clean them thoroughly and watch for signs of parasites. If you see that the liver is spotted I would throw that rabbit away, but otherwise summer rabbits are certainly edible. Sometimes when you skin them you'll find what looks like a large grub under the skin and actually burrowed into the meat, usually around the front and rear legs, this is called a botfly larvae and does not harm the meat at all. Just cut out the grub, and the surrounding meat, and the remaining rabbit meat is good to eat. I've only actually found a few of such parasites on rabbits I've cleaned, and while they certainly are nast looking they really don't hurt the meat. I"ve eaten summer rabbits in the past and they are just as tasty as the winter variety. As for the legality of shooting the garden pests, if you are concerned about it simply give whatever state agency has jurisdiction over such things in your state a call and ask them, they'll tell you. Anyway, if you do shoot some, chow down and enjoy.
