More hunters in Maine are using AR-style guns in their sport, but why, you may ask, when they have so many options.
The question is legitimate after a mass shooting in October that left 18 people dead and 13 more injured. The shooter, 40-year-old Robert Card II, used an AR model of gun.
The mass shooting rekindled a decades-old debate on gun control laws in Maine. Most recently, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife canceled a routine class on “Cleaning and Maintaining Your AR” because a few people complained about it being offered on the heels of the mass shooting.
But AR guns are gaining popularity among Maine hunters, and there are several practical reasons for it. For example, using a .223-caliber AR is very effective for hunting coyotes because it does little damage to the animal and the hunter may use its pelt, said David Trahan, executive director of the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine.
Are they legal?
AR guns are legal in Maine, although they are banned in eight states including Massachusetts and Connecticut and are highly regulated in Minnesota, Virginia and Washington. Maine’s hunting laws control how much ammunition the semi-automatic gun’s magazine can hold, which is five rounds, plus one in the chamber, thus keeping them on a par with other rifles used to hunt game animals. AR is an acronym for ArmaLite Rifle, referring to the company that designed them in the 1950s.
Do hunters use other semi-automatic guns?
Yes. Most of the major manufacturers of guns used for hunting produce a semi-automatic version. There are .30-06 semi-automatic rifles marketed to hunters by Benelli and Browning, for example. Remington used to manufacture one, but discontinued it in 2015. Most of them have wood stocks and look like your grandfather’s hunting gun. A semi-automatic gun simply means that only one shot is fired per trigger pull, while an automatic shoots continuously until the trigger is released. Fully automatic guns — machine guns — manufactured after May 1986 are illegal in Maine.
What’s the appeal of AR guns for hunters if there are other semi-automatic options available?
One of the biggest attractions is that ARs are lightweight — about 7 pounds with a magazine, which amounts to a couple of pounds lighter than a bolt-action rifle. That’s a good feature when you are walking for hours in the woods carrying your hunting gun, which gets heavier with every step.
The length of an AR gun is about 3 inches shorter, too, making it easier to carry through heavier brush. You can also take it apart easily to clean it and perform routine maintenance.
An AR can be customized to fit your own body type with its adjustable stocks, making it appealing to youth hunters and people with smaller frames. It also can be set up for different kinds of game and to use a variety of ammunition and optics.
Hunters in general seem to like the gun’s accuracy, according to discussions on social media.
How did ARs get into the hunting scene?
AR guns already were in use in competitive shooting sports before they became popular in hunting. All of the attributes that made them successful target-shooting guns naturally translated into appealing hunting guns.
What education is available to users of ARs?
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife offers classes on cleaning and maintaining them, and there are several gun clubs and shooting ranges around the state that offer a variety of gun classes and shooting services.
Clarification: Remington stopped manufacturing a .30-06 semi-automatic rifle in 2015.
