Semi-auto rifles may become legal for hunting in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania hunters will have a another firearm available to them since Gov. Tom Wolf signed into law the the option of using semi-automatic rifles for hunting in the state.

This now includes centerfire rifles like a Browning BAR, Remington 7400 and others including the recently popular and controversial, modern sporting rifles that are mis-named as assault rifles (AR). [AR actually stands for Armalite Rifle, the company who introduced the design.]

Sen. Scott Hutchinson, a Venango Republican, co-sponsored the bill that has been debated by legislators in some form since 2011. With its approval, Pennsylvania becomes the 49th state to allow hunters to use semi-auto’s. These are not to be confused with  fully automatic, which are illegal for hunting. Semi-auto’s  are essentially a one shot for each pull of the trigger. 

The Pennsylvania Game Commission didn’t waste any time firing off a press release to remind sportsmen that the use of semiautomatic rifles and air rifles are not legal to use during this deer hunting or any hunting season. The PGC says that under the law, proposed regulatory changes must be adopted preliminarily, then advertised and brought back to a subsequent PGC meeting for a final vote among its board members. 
With the board’s next quarterly meeting scheduled for January, no allowances for hunting with semiautomatic rifles or air rifles could be approved before April 2017. 

The only exception for semi-auto’s is that autoloader shotguns have been legal for use for big game in the densely populated counties of Allegheny, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery. 

CABELA’S HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY
Cabela’s Hamburg is offering for the first 250 customers in line at their store on Dec. 10, a mystery envelope containing information about their free gift. The gift will be distributed randomly and could include such goodies as a  Savage .22LR, Bone Collector Edition Can Cooker, Vortex Diamonback 10x42 binocular, Barnett Vortex Lite Youth Bow, Cabela’s cash cards and more. 

Doors will open at 8 a.m. and customers must be 18 and older to receive the gift cards. Firearm winners will he required to complete and pass a standard federal background check to take ownership of the firearm. 
​
For more information, call the store at 610-929-7000 or visit cabelas.com/hamburg. 

​

---