Sportsmen's groups push for use of semi

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Some sportsmen’s league leaders are pushing for the Pennsylvania Game Commission to allow the use of semi-automatic rifles for big game hunting.

Members of the Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League, Beaver County Sportsmen’s Conservation League, Unified Sportsmen of Pennsylvania and the Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action collaborated to write a letter to the game commission director and commissioners asking for the rule change.

Klint Macro, president of the Allegheny County Sportsmen’s League and vice president of Firearms Owners Against Crime Institute, penned and mailed the letter at the beginning of August after meeting with members of the different organizations over a span of two months.

The letter states that semi-automatic rifles often are easier to use. In the case of smaller-framed individuals, including women and children, they can deliver more precise rounds on target.

In November of 2016, HB263 was passed and signed into law as Act 168. The act states that “a semi-automatic rifle may be used to hunt game in accordance with regulations promulgated by the commission.”

In January 2017, the game commission took preliminary action to allow semiautomatic rifles in all seasons in which manually operated rifles could be used previously.

Travis Lau, communications director at the game commission, said the decision generated quite a response from hunters on both sides of the issue.

According to a 2017 game commission survey, 55% of participants supported hunting for furbearers, 51% for woodchucks (groundhogs) and 42% for small game with semi-automatic rifles. Only 28% of survey respondents expressed support for permitting semi-automatic rifles in big game hunting; 64% said they opposed.

Because of these results, in April 2017 the game commission authorized small-caliber semi-automatic rifles for use in hunting small game, but use of semi-automatic rifles remains banned from big game hunting in the state.

Firearms used for big game — deer, bear, elk and some other game animals — remain restricted to “manually operated” firearms, such as lever-, pump- and bolt-action rifles and shotguns.

Despite the results of the survey, Jim Stoker, president of Firearms Owners Against Crime Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action, said the majority opinion should not factor into the consideration toward the desired rule change.

“It doesn’t matter what the game commission thinks,” Stoker said. “It should be up to the individual’s choice of what they want to shoot. It doesn’t matter how many hunters say no. It’s up to the hunters to choose.”

He added that he was not sure how accurate the results of the survey were.

“I could change that majority decision depending on (what areas) I pull hunters from,” Stoker said.

The letter lists bordering states Maryland, New York, New Jersey, West Virginia and Ohio that allow hunters to use semi-automatic rifles with little restriction.

Macro said he uses a flintlock rifle and probably would continue to do so if the game commission allows the use of semi-automatic firearms.

“I think we, as Americans, should have the option to use whatever gun we choose,” Macro said.

Lau said the idea of welcoming semi-automatic rifles into big-game hunting season resurfaced in January 2019. Once the possible rule change was advertised, he said the commission received an “outpour of opposition” from hunters. A month later, the discussion of the rule change ceased.

Macro said the game commission has authorized variations of semi-automatic firearms for hunting and furtaking and allowed the use of AR-15-style rifles to hunt coyotes, as long as it is not during a regular firearms big game season.

“We’re way behind,” Stoker said. “To the best of my knowledge, many other states have approved centerfire. It doesn’t make any sense that this is something that would hang up the game commission considering. It’s not an unreasonable request to be making, considering it’s legal in other states.”

Haley Daugherty is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Haley at 724-850-1203 or [email protected].

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