In hunting and furtaking, further providing for prohibited devices and methods.
Summary
HB2311 amends Pennsylvania’s Game Code provisions governing prohibited hunting devices and methods. Specifically, it changes the rule on semiautomatic firearms used to hunt big game (other than wild turkey) by allowing a semiautomatic firearm that is modified to hold one shell in the chamber and no more than five shells in the magazine, replacing the prior four-shell limit. The bill also removes the existing language that limited this exception to a person who had suffered an amputation or lost the total use of one or both hands.
In practical terms, the bill would broaden the circumstances under which a semiautomatic firearm may be used for big game hunting, while keeping the general prohibition on automatic and semiautomatic firearms in place. The change affects Title 34 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes and would take effect 60 days after enactment. It appears to be a narrow technical amendment to hunting equipment restrictions rather than a broader rewrite of game law.
Impact
The bill would amend Section 2322(a)(2) of Title 34, Pennsylvania’s Game Code, by revising the semiautomatic firearm exception within the list of prohibited hunting devices and methods. It increases the allowed magazine capacity from four shells to five shells and deletes the disability-specific limitation, thereby expanding eligibility for the exception beyond hunters with an amputation or loss of use of one or both hands. The change would affect hunters, firearm owners, and enforcement of game regulations by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.
Sentiment
No committee transcript or vote record is provided, so there is no documented floor or committee debate to gauge support or opposition. Based on the text alone, the bill reads as a targeted, permissive adjustment to hunting rules, suggesting a likely practical rather than ideological framing. The available record does not show any formal controversy or recorded vote pattern.
Contention
The main point of potential contention is the expansion of semiautomatic firearm use for big game hunting. Supporters may view the change as a modest modernization of hunting regulations and a removal of an outdated disability-based restriction, while opponents could object to loosening firearm limits in hunting or to the broader use of semiautomatic weapons in the field. Because there are no transcripts or votes, no specific legislators, agencies, or stakeholder groups are identified as taking positions.
In game or wildlife protection, further providing for unlawful activities; in hunting and furtaking, further providing for unlawful devices and methods; and, in special licenses and permits, further providing for disabled person permits.
In game or wildlife protection, further providing for regulations and for unlawful activities; and, in hunting and furtaking, repealing provisions relating to hunting on Sunday prohibited, further providing for unlawful devices and methods and for trespass on private property while hunting and repealing provisions relating to hunting on Sunday without written permission.