surprise poll of Pa hunters on semi-auto

[platoonDaddy]

Dang, my old home state, 52% strongly oppose semi-auto for hunting big game! Double Dang.


Commissioners abruptly reversed their preliminary vote in January to permit the use of semiautomatic rifles for general hunting uses, amending the measure to ban the sporting arms for big game but permit their use for small game and furbearers, such as foxes and coyotes.

“We listened to our hunters,” said commission president Brian Hoover, in a statement.

http://www.post-gazette.com/news/state/2017/04/02/semiautomatic-rifles-for-hunting/stories/201704020173?pgpageversion=pgevoke

 

[Squaregrouper]

I'm from outside Harrisburg and my deer camp is/was in Schuylkill County.
A bunch of my friends are under the impression if semi autos are allowed, people will start doing mag dumps on deer.

 

[outrider58]

It's Pennsitucky for cripes sake!

 

[platoonDaddy]

I'm from outside Harrisburg and my deer camp is/was in Schuylkill County.
A bunch of my friends are under the impression if semi autos are allowed, people will start doing mag dumps on deer.

My cuz has that same mind-set, it was the same issue with in-line ML, look how many years they were banned.

Just friggin blows my mind.

 

[alucard0822]

I'll bet that 52% are the same who can't understand why the number of hunters have been steadily declining for decades, and can't figure out a way to attract new hunters to the sport. Meanwhile sport shooting and defensive firearm purchases are growing. Might not happen this year, but the cranky old "purists" days are numbered.

 

[HordesOfKailas]

I'll never understand the sportsmanship angle some hunters cling to. Look at it rationally, any gun kind of takes the sportsmanship out of the hunt. A bolt action is marginally more sportsmanlike than a semi auto, but if you want to really make it fair, stalk the thing with a spear or bow. Don't pretend a bolt action makes you some prehistoric-level hunter.

 

[iH8DemLibz]

I hear stupid azzholes doing shotgun mag dumps every year on deer. BOOM. Miss. BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

These idiots can't shoot straight, so they take it out on the deer. Spray and pray. Wounded. Not wounded. They don't care. Angers me beyond words.

I'm fine with semi-autos in the woods, but limit magazine capacity to three rounds. But then you have people who ignore magazine capacity and load up thirty rounds for what should take one round.

And it's not about being a "Purist". It's about taking your time. It's about shot placement. It's about being an "Ethical" hunter. An antediluvian term that's lost on the tacti-cool crowd.


PS: My freezer remains full of venison. All taken with single shot H&R and Muzzle Loading firearms.

 

[rdc]

I'm not surprised. I have a bunch of friends and family up there. "a real hunter doesn't need semi auto" "what do you need that for?" Etc.
last summer I was shooting at a friend's when his neighbor and neighbors son came over. I offered to let the kid shoot my Garand. He was literally spooked off of it because it was semi auto.

 

[outrider58]

I'm not surprised. I have a bunch of friends and family up there. "a real hunter doesn't need semi auto" "what do you need that for?" Etc.
last summer I was shooting at a friend's when his neighbor and neighbors son came over. I offered to let the kid shoot my Garand. He was literally spooked off of it because it was semi auto.

That's crazy-sad! What do they do when they join the service, supply their own '03s?

 

[WeaponsCollector]

There's a hell of a lot of Fudds out there who think our second amendment is for duck hunting.
Something needs to be done to address that. Maybe educational outreach or something like that?
Never underestimate the danger of Fudds in large numbers!

 

[ivwarrior]

Dang, my old home state, 52% strongly oppose semi-auto for hunting big game! Double Dang.

I wonder how accurate that poll really is. I have to wonder if someone on the commission was opposed to semi-auto and wanted "data" for back up. They only sent it to 4000 people, probably all over age 60. Only 2000 replied.

One thing I can tell you for sure, they pretty much guaranteed I won't buy a license again this year.

 

[zoostation]

I've talked to a number of hunters up there who feel this way. It's not an anti-2A thing with the ones I have talked to. A lot of them own AR's too. They are just afraid inexperienced people will be lighting up the woods with multiple rounds and someone will end up having an accident that screws everybody. I think education would go a long way. Just my .02.

 

[Doco Overboard]

Ha Ha I thought they were using semi's years ago. Somebody mentioned Schuylkill county which is where I have a piece on the Blue Mtn and its just that they probably figured out that they're chances went down on drives because somebody had a bad year or that's what the talk is at the gunny, the PGC does some weird stuff though. Like they say across the mountain Vas komma du, eechhaus und hasch.

 

[traveller]

That's not a 'suprise' by any means.

 

[outrider58]

I've talked to a number of hunters up there who feel this way. It's not an anti-2A thing with the ones I have talked to. A lot of them own AR's too. They are just afraid inexperienced people will be lighting up the woods with multiple rounds and someone will end up having an accident that screws everybody. I think education would go a long way. Just my .02.

Totally agree. It's the fear of the unknown(ignorance).

What was that movie we all had to watch in school? "The Lottery"? Fear and ignorance run hand-in-hand.

 

[platoonDaddy]

The following was pointed out to me:


Also this quote is pretty telling.

"Junior license holders were not surveyed. Nor were military hunters and holders of state game land shooting range permits.

“Those are the ones who are more likely to want to use semiautomatic rifles, and they weren’t included,” said Mr. Levdansky. “I don’t know why they were left out, but if [commissioners] wanted to show support for their plans for full use, they made a big mistake.”

 

[kohburn]

fudds gonna fudd

 

[outrider58]

The following was pointed out to me:


Also this quote is pretty telling.

"Junior license holders were not surveyed. Nor were military hunters and holders of state game land shooting range permits.

“Those are the ones who are more likely to want to use semiautomatic rifles, and they weren’t included,” said Mr. Levdansky. “I don’t know why they were left out, but if [commissioners] wanted to show support for their plans for full use, they made a big mistake.”

Hmmm, just like an ABC, CBS, NBC, Reuters, etc, news poll...

 

[BigSteve57]

I've been hunting PA with my wife since 1982 and I'll echo some of the points already made. The perception is that there will be enough of those that will "spray and pray" to make safety, at least on public lands, a REAL issue. I've met plenty of "hunters" up there, some of whom I wouldn't trust with a sling shot. Heck, we've been asked to leave OUR OWN LAND by some of these idiots. Whether you think using a semi auto, limiting magazine size & rounds is sportsmanlike is a personal choice IMHO. I shoot ducks & geese with a semi-auto shotgun so it's not really the semi-auto-ness that bothers me.

For me in PA it's a safety issue. For the LEO's enforcing round counts is probably tough too.

I could see it allowed on private land but perhaps that too is too hard to enforce.

For the hunters I have spoken to in PA it is absolutely not a 2A issue but rather a safety and sportsmanship issue.

 

[ShafTed]

Yep, they carefully selected their data pool to get the desired outcome. I have heard of a number of people in PA who would like to hunt, already own a semiauto, but don't want to shell out hundreds more $$ to buy a bolt gun. The survey didn't include any of those people, I guess they don't want to expand the ranks of hunters.