With Pennsylvania deer hunters seeing expanded opportunities to go afield this fall, a state senator proposes another change: allowing hunters to use semi-automatic rifles that are limited to a three-round capacity.

Sen. Dan Laughlin, a Republican from Erie,  planned to introduce the bill to allow semi-automatic rifles for big game in the state Senate this fall, as reported by Brian Whipkey, outdoors writer for USA TODAY Network sites in Pennsylvania.

“I have a lot of friends who have semi-autos they use for coyote hunting and things like that. They would like to be able to hunt big game with their favorite rifles,” the senator told Whipkey in an interview.

Laughlin said he wants to limit the number of rifle cartridges a semi-automatic rifle hunter has loaded to three, as that’s the maximum number of shells shotgun hunters use in many seasons. “We already have a three-shell capacity limit in place that people are comfortable with,” he said.

Semiautomatic shotguns with slugs are already permitted for deer hunting, and this change would include centerfire rifle calibers. In other states where semi-automatic rifles are permitted, more hunters are using AR-style platforms in big game hunting

Semi-automatic rifles are permitted in Pennsylvania for small game and furbearer hunting. Semi-autos, including AR-style rifles, are legal for hunting deer in New York state.

Laughlin said he was aware of other proposals that allow up to six cartridges in a semi-auto rifle. “I don’t think that will sit well with some folks, just from my conversations with friends of mine who hunt and they kind of like the idea of the three-shot capacity limit.”

The use of a semi-automatic rifle will be helpful to hunters who have had hand injuries or have lost an arm or hand, Laughlin said, noting he knows veterans who lost limbs in  Afghanistan and Iraq who have difficulty operating bolt- or lever-action rifles while hunting.

“For them, this will be a game changer,” the senator said.

Rifle hunters with semi-automatic rifles could place a wooden or plastic plug in their gun’s magazine to limit the number of cartridges the gun could hold or there could be smaller magazines offered to hunters that keep the limit to three. “People are innovative, private industry, maybe somebody will 3D print some fake plastic bullets. You put two of those in your 5-shot clip and then you know you’re good,” he said about keeping hunters from accidentally loading more than three in their guns.

Travis Lau, communications director for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, said he’s read Laughlin’s memo to other legislators on his proposed bill.

“So, at this time, we are neutral on it,” Lau said. “It’s a memo. We haven’t seen draft legislation, and it hasn’t been introduced yet. So we will evaluate it further when it’s introduced but for the time being, we’re staying neutral.”

Laughlin said the legislation is another step toward increasing the opportunities for hunters.

“Hopefully, we can modernize Pennsylvania a little further,” he said.

House Bill 1431 became law in July, allowing the Game Commission to add more Sundays to regular hunting seasons. The change has been implemented and 10 more Sundays have been added to the schedule that formerly only included three Sundays.

The Sunday hunting days run consecutively from Sept. 14 to Dec. 7.

LAWMAKER PROPOSES SPLIT OPENER FOR DEER GUN SEASON

A Pennsylvania legislator believes he’s found a compromise to the debate over returning the opening day of the deer firearms season to the first Monday after Thanksgiving Day that will work for both rural communities and hunters who want more flexibility.

Legislation introduced by state Rep. Eric Davanzo, R-Westmoreland, would create two start dates for the season, determined by game commissioner districts. Spotlight PA reported that, using Interstate 80 as a rough dividing line, the bill would have northern counties return to the traditional Monday, and have those to the south begin on the Saturday before the holiday.

The bill was referred to the state House Game and Fisheries Committee in late June but has yet to receive a vote.

A split approach to the season opener, Davanzo said, balances the needs of hunters in rural areas — where the sport is so integral to the culture and economy that most schools are closed on traditional opening day — and people in other parts of the state that still have school or work on Monday but want more time in the woods.

“I didn’t design this to be a Saturday bill or a Monday,” he told Spotlight PA. “This was really about the longevity of hunting.”

In 2019, the traditional Monday opener was changed to the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Many hunters complained the change made it difficult to celebrate Thanksgiving with family while also getting ready for the Saturday opener. Some rural businesses also said the shift hurt their bottom lines because hunters spend less time — and money — in their communities.

Lau, the Game Commission spokesman, said Davanzo’s proposal takes away the state agency’s decision-making authority.

He also noted that a split approach “would be unlike any other hunting season” because it relies on commissioner districts — nine in total, each with multiple counties — instead of the current 22 wildlife management units, which are based on habitat and can cut across county lines.