Why no semi-autos for hunting?

[whoshisface]

Well, the question that needs to be asked is, why? Why should semi-auto's be allowed for hunting?

I would say the question should be why not!

Say you get off a bad shot, wouldn't it be nice to be able to get a second shot off to help the poor deer!

[LittleRedToyota]

Well, the question that needs to be asked is, why? Why should semi-auto's be allowed for hunting?

that is backwards from the true american way.

the spirit of this country (outlined in the declaration of independence...liberty and the right to the pursuit of happiness) is that everything is legal unless there is a compelling reason to make it illegal...or at least that is supposed to be the spirit of this country.

you don't have to ask "why should something be legal?"...you have to ask "why should something be illegal?" if there is not a good answer to that question, then it should not be illegal.

but, to answer your question, because AR15s are lightweight, accurate weapons which would make fine hunting rifles.

[billamj]

that is backwards from the true american way.

the spirit of this country (outlined in the declaration of independence...liberty and the right to the pursuit of happiness) is that everything is legal unless there is a compelling reason to make it illegal...or at least that is supposed to be the spirit of this country.

you don't have to ask "why should something be legal?"...you have to ask "why should something be illegal?" if there is not a good answer to that question, then it should not be illegal.

but, to answer your question, because AR15s are lightweight, accurate weapons which would make fine hunting rifles.

A big +1 on that one LRT. The bottom line here is that the state "powers that be" should be explaining to us why it is illegal to hunt with a semi. Everyone on this board knows that there is no real difference in the weapons other than the fact that the semi will load the next round. I've seen people come awfully close to semi speed with a good lever gun.

[Steve in PA]

Well, if its backwards, then why not full-auto for hunting?

There are plenty of rifles, other than semi-auto AR's that fit your description.

I have plenty of semi-auto rifles, but I don't see the need to be hunting with them.

So again, I'll play the devils advocate here, other than the "because I want to use them", why should they be allowed?

[aubie515]

I could see one reason not to allow semis to hunt...remember the guy in WI that shot all of those hunters with his SKS. If he had a bolt action...he wouldn't have been able to get the drop on so many hunters.

PA is funny when it comes to hunting laws...that's all I will say on the matter.

While I would like to be able to hunt predators and vermin with an AR15, I will follow PA law. I do know of a gentleman that works for the Game Commission that does "island hunts" and you are able to use any weapon. I am tempted to take out my DPMS and take a boar with it.

As a hunter, if I miss a shot...I don't deserve a second chance. Shot placement is the most important aspect while hunting. Even though I own a few semi's I always use them as though they were bolt actions...one shot...one hit.

[LittleRedToyota]

Well, if its backwards, then why not full-auto for hunting?

good question...if one cannot provide a compelling reason to not allow full autos for hunting, then they should be allowed.

i'm not saying one could not offer a compelling reason...perhaps safety of other hunters would be such a reason.

So again, I'll play the devils advocate here, other than the "because I want to use them", why should they be allowed?

my answer to that...and i'm not trying to be coy or anything--this is my honest answer...is because, in America, we are supposed to live and be governed by the spirit of the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. thus, if there is not a compelling reason to curtail someone's right to the pursuit of happiness, that right should not be curtailed. if i find happiness in hunting with an AR15, then that right should not be curtailed unless there is a compelling reason to do so. i don't have to offer a reason to be allowed to do it.

aubie has offered reasons why semi-autos should not be allowed for hunting...i even offered one earlier...i don't find them compelling, but that is just my opinion. if you do find them compelling, then, in your opinion (which is apparently shared by the game commission), there is justification for curtailing my right to the pursuit of happiness in this case.

however, to say it should be illegal simply because i can't or won't give a reason why it should be legal doesn't work...or at least it should not work....in america. if that were how things worked, then everything would be illegal by default and we would have laws saying what is legal rather than the other way around.

to attempt to answer your question in the manner your are looking for, though, i can't really give you a reason other than "because i want to"...and maybe "so i don't have to buy multiple rifles to fulfill the roles of home defense, being prepared to defend the state and country against invasion (the original intent of the 2nd amendment, after all), and hunting".

but just saying "because i want to" is a good enough reason unless those who don't want to allow me to can come up with a compelling reason to not allow me to (of course, there are differences of opinion on what constitutes a compelling reason).

[Steve in PA]

Then why not have a free-for-all, any type of firearm, any type of ammo, etc.

The PGC regulates what types of firearms can and cannot be used. They also restrict certain types of ammo for some seasons and game animals.

So if you argue, "its America"......then logic follows that you think the free-for-all is the way to go.

Hunting and the right to carry arms are two totally different things. While you may own whatever firearms you want, if you want to play the hunting game, then you have to play by the hunting rules.

[LittleRedToyota]

So if you argue, "its America"......then logic follows that you think the free-for-all is the way to go.

no, i think the free-for-all should be limited where there is a compelling (and constitutionally acceptable...though that doesn't really come into play here) reason to do so.

if you want to play the hunting game, then you have to play by the hunting rules.

yes, i agree...one must play be the rules. however, i just don't think the rules should be arbitrarily set.

by default, you start off with no rules...that's just the way it is. before the PA game comission (or whoever made the first rules) made the first rules, there were no rules. thus, by default--before any rules were made, you could use any weapon to hunt.

starting from this condition of no rules, you could just make random rules, but that doesn't seem to make sense. it seems to make more sense to only make rules that have some reasoning behind them. if you agree with this, then the rule "you are not allowed to use a semi-auto to hunt" should only be a rule if there is a reason behind it.

in my opinion, there is not a compelling reason for that rule.

in my opinion, there is a compelling reason for the rule "you cannot use a full-auto weapon to hunt" and for many other rules regarding hunting like safety zones, bag limits, seasons, having to wear orange, minimum calibers, etc.

[JIMMYC308]

Auto-Loading shotguns are permitted so why not auto-loading rifles. If the round capacity is an issue why not a magazine restriction say 5 or 10 rounds? I have a similar beef with the game commission, I hunt in the special regs areas and we can use a muzzleloader with a 200 yd. effective range but we can not hunt deer with handguns like a revolver or break open, Why?

[MiniDevil]

I would say the question should be why not!

Say you get off a bad shot, wouldn't it be nice to be able to get a second shot off to help the poor deer!

That doesn't give the hunter any encouragement to actually gain skill. You could have people with a 10/22 going at deer with a 50 rd mag hoping one of those shots might possibly hit the CNS and take it down.

Spray and pray... Peppered Venison anyone?