A new bill permitting the use of  semi-automatic rifles and handguns for hunting has been signed by the Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. The new law will not be applicable for the hunters in the coming gun deer season scheduled to be held on November 28, 2016.

According to the Current state law, hunters can use single-shot firearms, requiring hunters who miss on their first shot to manually move an additional cartridge into the chamber to hit their target.

Senator Scott Hutchinson, the co-sponsor of the initiative, said that, “I am pleased that this measure is now law in Pennsylvania.”

“I’ve heard from numerous sportsmen and women who would like to use the same semi-automatic rifles for hunting that they practice with at the firing range, but Pennsylvania is one of the few states that (had disallowed) these firearms for hunting of any kind,” Hutchinson said.

The board of game commissioners is expected to adopt the new bill in 2017, including the seasons, calibers and the type of game that can be hunted.

The legislation gives the state Game Commission authority to regulate the use of semi-auto guns for hunting.

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Nandini