Pennsylvania Game News - June 2017 - 38

MARCH COMMISSIONERS MEETING

Changes for these firearms
With the changes made by the Board of
Commissioners, semiautomatic rifles in .22
caliber or less that propel single-projectile
ammunition and semiautomatic shotguns
10-gauge or smaller propelling ammunition
not larger than No. 4 lead - also No. 2 steel
or No. 4 composition or alloy - will be legal
firearms for small-game seasons in the 201718 license year, which begins July 1.
Semiautomatic firearms that propel
single-projectile ammunition also will be
legal sporting arms for woodchucks and
furbearers, and there is no caliber restriction
for woodchucks or furbearers.
The measure also approves the use of air
guns for hunting small game and furbearers.

semiautomatic rifles at this time, and
the board's vote reflects that majority
opinion.
Between the Board of Commissioners' preliminary vote in January and the
vote in March, Game Commission staff
conducted a scientific survey from a
random sample of 4,000 of the state's
hunters, more than 2,000 of whom
responded. The findings of that survey
were presented to the commissioners during the first day of the board's
meeting.
The findings of the survey demonstrated support for hunting furbearers
(55 percent support or strongly support), woodchucks (51 percent support
or strongly support) and small game
(42 percent support or strongly support, with 12 percent unopposed) with
semiautomatic rifles.
For big game, while 28 percent of
survey respondents expressed support
or strong support for semiautomatic
rifles, 64 percent of respondents said
they opposed or strongly opposed
semiautomatic rifles for big-game hunt38

ing, with 52 percent saying they were
strongly opposed.
The results bolstered the expressed
opposition to hunting big game with
semiautomatic rifles that appeared to a
lesser extent in the written comments
the Game Commission received in
recent months.
"We listened to our hunters," President Commissioner Brian H. Hoover
said.
Pennsylvania historically prohibited
the use of semiautomatic rifles for
hunting, but a law that took effect in
November enables the Game Commission to regulate semiautomatic rifles
and air guns for hunting.
With the board's recent vote, Pennsylvania becomes the last state in the
nation to approve semiautomatic rifles
for hunting uses.
Following their vote, the commissioners said if growing support for
hunting big game with semiautomatic
rifles emerges at some point in the
future, they will give consideration to
further regulatory changes.
Fact-finding by Pennsylvania Game
Commission staff revealed no higher
incidence of hunting accidents in any
state where semiautomatics are permitted, and many firearms experts have
said they believe semiautomatics are
safer in that they allow for continuous
focus on the target and often require the
shooter to absorb less recoil.
The survey on hunting with semiautomatic rifles also showed greater
support among younger age groups for
semiautomatic rifle hunting, including
the use of semiautomatic rifles to hunt
big game.
But no such provision will be adopted for the 2017-18 license year.
Pennsylvania Game News - June 2017

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