In 2004, an unfortunate hunting accident prompted Pennsylvania legislators to consider expanding the number of counties in which the use of rifles would not be permitted for deer hunting. But the results of a state sponsored study stands to change matters. From The Morning Call:
_Although it may be a couple months before details are made public, state Sen. Lisa M. Boscola, D-Northampton, announced the study will state that hunting with shotguns is not inherently safer than hunting with rifles.
Boscola — who last year organized a meeting between Burns and Game Commission officials to address the rifle vs. shotgun issue — said the findings essentially kill any plans to expand existing shotgun-only restrictions. . . .
Some states, including neighboring New Jersey, Ohio and Delaware, don’t allow any rifle use by deer hunters.
But the new study seems to refute conventional wisdom — used as the basis for shotgun-only rules across the nation — which holds that using shotgun slugs, which have a much shorter range than rifle bullets, reduces the odds of an accident.
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What do you think?