Examination says rifles as safe as shotguns in urban settings

[Township75]

This is news to me:



There are certain areas of the state -- the so-called special regulation areas, including Allegheny County -- where hunters can only hunt deer with shotguns.
Rifles, which can shoot much further, are not allowed, having been deemed too unsafe.

Data collected by the Pennsylvania Game Commission would seem to indicate that rifles are not really any more dangerous than shotguns, however.

The commission has been collecting data on all known incidents of private property damage resulting from errant shots since 1998. From January of that year through June 30 of this year, wildlife conservation officers around the state collected data on 359 cases. Of those, 214 were rifle related, while 97 were shotgun related. Muzzleloaders, handguns and an arrow accounted for 14 other cases.


Full story here:
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-review/sports/outdoors/s_270064.html

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Do you want to live in a populated area...

Where rifles are allowed for hunting use?

I don't.

[Retired AF Dem]

5. In Germany it is not legal to hunt deer with anything

other than a rifle of at least .243 cal or higher. It also is not uncommon to see high seats adjacent to towns. Accidents are few and far between. Than again it does take about 18 months to get a hunting license there.

[snippy]

2. Was the data collected during a time and in places where the laws

restricting rifle hunting were in place? Also, what data exists to indicate the number of hunters using rifles and the number using shotguns during the time and in the locations the data was collected. Without this information the data seems meaningless to me.

For some reason the link did not work for me so I don't know whether my questions are answered in the full article.

[Romulus]

3. maybe in tree stand-only cases (eom)

[alwynsw]

4. Depending upon the terrain, tree stands offer the best protection

from errant shots both toward and away from the hunter because of the angles involved.

Unfortunately, people hunt, and when people are involved mistakes are made.

A reminder to all, remember that important rule about being sure of your backstop before firing.

[Redneck Socialist]

6. It's the nut behind the trigger

that determines the safety of any firearm. I reckon that I don't care to have my house or myself shot whether it be by shotgun or rifle. By and large it is the operator of the firearm that will determine if that will happen or not, not the type the type of gun they are using.