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Pennsylvania: Update on Semi-Automatic Rifle Hunting Legislation

S

SHOOTER13

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NRA-ILA:

Update on Semi-Automatic Rifle Hunting Legislation
Friday, October 23, 2015

This week, the House Game and Fisheries Committee reported Senate Bill 737 out as amended by a vote of 25-2. Senate Bill 737 will now go to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Senate Bill 737, as amended, would eliminate the prohibition on semi-automatic rifles for hunting and allow for the Game Commission to regulate these sporting rifles for all game species in accordance with season and bag limits.

The use of semi-automatic shotguns for hunting has been legal for decades in Pennsylvania. Ending the prohibition on semi-automatic rifle hunting would provide Pennsylvania hunters the same opportunities and options enjoyed by hunters in the majority of other states.
 
Some weird laws on the books everywhere it seems. I thought we were messed up here...and we are! But some of the stuff you guys bring to this forum from south of the line still floors me.

We can't hunt with a handgun up here...period.

Semi-auto rifles and shotguns are allowed.

Get this one though...one hunter cannot possess more than one gun at the ready while hunting. So if you have another, it has to be cased or wrapped...go figure that one eh?!?:confused:
 
Handguns, Shotguns ( semi-auto, double, O/U, single, pump ) and Bolt Action rifles are legal for most game here in the States.

The MSR ( Modern Sporting Rifle ) is the next logical type to be allowed for hunting ...chances are they will probably be limited to a certain loaded mag capacity.

Supressors are legal in 41 States now...some states allow them for hunting.

Pennsylvania being one of them.
 
KY has never prohibited suppressor use for hunting, which is good.

I have heard that some people say that using a suppressor while hunting gives the hunter an unfair advantage.

Well, anyone with more than 2 brain cells to rub together knows the hunter is at the unfair advantage. I mean, coyotes have outstanding sense of smell, hearing and even good eyesight.

Bobcats and the like have more rods in their eyes which let them see in the dark.

Even deer have better sense of smell and hearing than a human.

I could go on with my list, but here's the basic run down.

A suppressor does not silence the sound of a gunshot, but let's completely ignore that for a moment and get to the root of the issue.

The speed of sound in air is approximately 1,050 feet per second or within a few fps depending on temperature and elevation (air density).

Most rifle hunting cartridges travel at speeds at least twice that. 2,400 feet per second or more.

So even if you are not using a suppressor, that bullet is traveling so fast that the bullet strikes the target before the animal hears the sound of the shot, entirely negating whether a suppressor is used or not.

So explain to me again in REAL WORLD terms how using a suppressor gives the hunter an advantage to anything?

That my friends is called critical thinking and how to apply scientific solutions to real world questions.
 
NRA-ILA:

Update on Semi-Automatic Rifle Hunting Legislation
Friday, October 23, 2015

This week, the House Game and Fisheries Committee reported Senate Bill 737 out as amended by a vote of 25-2. Senate Bill 737 will now go to the House of Representatives for consideration.

Senate Bill 737, as amended, would eliminate the prohibition on semi-automatic rifles for hunting and allow for the Game Commission to regulate these sporting rifles for all game species in accordance with season and bag limits.

The use of semi-automatic shotguns for hunting has been legal for decades in Pennsylvania. Ending the prohibition on semi-automatic rifle hunting would provide Pennsylvania hunters the same opportunities and options enjoyed by hunters in the majority of other states.
So Shooter, do you think Wolf would actually sign it if it gets to him. I doubt he would. CeasefirePA rated him a B+, the lowest of any democrat running in the last election. He was in favor of a NY style "assault weapon" ban.
 
Hey Mike....such is life in a BLUE state.

I'm a firm believer in sending every firearm right bill as possible to that liberal clown...if he vetoes it, it sends a loud and clear message to all the PA gun owners.

I didn't vote for him....
But I will lead the fight to get him OUT next election....you can count on that !!
 
So explain to me again in REAL WORLD terms how using a suppressor gives the hunter an advantage to anything?

A suppressor helps to tame muzzle blast and save the hearing of the hunter and party. Yes, a high-power rifle bullet will soon quickly break the speed of sound but as you noted, the bullet will hit the target before the sound wave does. A subsonic 300 AAC Blackout would benefit greatly from a suppressor...
 
While I don't dispute your point that a suppressor works better with subsonic bullets, I don't know anyone who uses subsonic loads to hunt with.

Every hunter I know, wants the fastest, biggest, hardest hitting round known to man and at least 12x more powerful than needed.

None of which relate to subsonic cartridges.
 
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Some weird laws on the books everywhere it seems. I thought we were messed up here...and we are! But some of the stuff you guys bring to this forum from south of the line still floors me.

We can't hunt with a handgun up here...period.

Semi-auto rifles and shotguns are allowed.

Get this one though...one hunter cannot possess more than one gun at the ready while hunting. So if you have another, it has to be cased or wrapped...go figure that one eh?!?:confused:

That seems kind of dumb , I would hate to go bear hunting without a backup gun ready to fire in an instant
Norm
 
I don't know what got into the governor but I'll take it. He actually signed the bill to permit semi auto hunting in PA. Maybe it was Trumps win in PA and he lost even more state house seats to the republicans. Now it will be in the hands of the Fudds at the game commission to decide what can be hunted with a semi auto.

http://abc27.com/2016/11/21/gov-wolf-signs-bill-to-give-hunters-new-gun-options/
 
HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Gov. Tom Wolf has signed legislation that removes a ban on hunting with semi-automatic rifles.

Act 168 of 2016, formerly House Bill 263, also removes the ban on air- and gas-powered rifles.

The legislation doesn’t automatically allow the guns to be used for hunting, but it gives the Pennsylvania Game Commission the authority to regulate and allow their use during certain seasons or for certain animals.

The bill’s author, Rep. Matt Gabler (R-Clearfield/Elk), said the legislation brings Pennsylvania in line with many other states that allow semi-automatic firearms as a hunting option.

Gabler has said air- and gas-powered rifles – now with equal or greater muzzle energy and stopping power than numerous small-caliber guns that are allowed – are especially popular with young hunters and women in states that allow them.
 
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