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I don’t know if a recently passed bill that gives the Pennsylvania Game Commission the ability to implement the use of air rifles and semi-autos is a good idea or not.
That won’t be determined until the PGC board sits down and decides for what seasons and species the firearms can be used.
House Bill 263 was approved by a vote of 160-25 and now awaits Gov. Tom Wolf’s signature before it becomes law. The bill lifts the ban on air rifles, and semi-automatic rifles, for hunting.
Supporters of the bill’s semi-auto side contend that other states allow such rifles to be used for hunting, so why not Pennsylvania?
I don’t agree with the “other states do it so we should too” argument. When it comes to hunting, Pennsylvania is unique in the sheer number of hunters and the nearly 900,000 that hit the woods for the opening day of deer season. No other state has that many hunters in the woods at one time, and that’s something to consider when it comes to allowing semi-automatic rifles to be used for hunting.
Still, I think it could work.
While I’m not in favor of allowing semi-autos for deer hunting, regardless of any restriction the PGC may place on magazine capacity, I think the rifles could be benefit for squirrel and coyote hunting.
We already allow the use of semi-auto shotguns for turkey hunting, and I think it’s fine to allow hunters to use a semi-auto .22 rifle for squirrels and coyotes.
If semi-automatic rifles for hunting is going to work, it has to be limited to the smaller calibers and kept out of big game hunting where a high-powered rifle is used.
Why?
Safety tops the list.
With hundreds of thousands of hunters in the woods during deer season, we don’t need rapid-fire rifles throwing lead around. Besides, when it comes to harvesting a deer, the main objective is to do so with a single, accurate shot that results in a quick kill. Being able to use a semi-auto rifle to hunt deer may give some hunters the belief that they can compensate for a less-than-perfect first shot by following up with more rounds as quickly as they can squeeze the trigger.
That’s not what deer hunting is about, and I would be surprised if the PGC allows semi-autos for deer hunting.
But why do I feel semi-autos are fine for, say, squirrel hunting and not deer?
With a squirrel in a tree, oftentimes that first shot is either a kill or a miss. If the latter occurs, the squirrel will often quickly reappear somewhere else in the tree, allowing for a quick follow-up shot.
Same thing with calling coyotes at night.
As for air rifles, I think the bill opens up a new opportunity for hunters that will be a benefit.
Today’s air rifles have shot velocities of up to 1,500 feet per second, which is comparable to a .22. Air rifles are also quieter and young hunters may be more comfortable using one.
Still, with both air rifles and semi-autos, there are some aspects the PGC will want to consider as they implement them for hunting.
Because air rifles are quiet, their use could lead to more safety zone violations as any shots fired are hard to detect.
And with semi-autos, public image needs to be taken into account. What will the non-hunting public think if they see a hunter carrying an AR-15 into the woods? Even though an AR is no more dangerous than any other firearm, it’s the appearance that makes believe believe it is.
These aren’t reasons not to implement air rifles and semi-autos into hunting. It just has to be done properly, and that’s a step that likely won’t be discussed by the PGC board until January when they set seasons and bag limits for the 2017-18 season.
