Officials with the Department of Natural Resources say emerging technologies could drive the need to change how a hunting gun is defined in Wisconsin.
DNR conservation warden Tom Van Haren says the current law allows any gun that is discharged from the shoulder to hunt in the state. However, he says there's a growing interest from people who want to hunt with guns that fire projectiles using electromagnetic fields, essentially using magnetism to propel rounds at a very high velocity.
Van Haren says other technologies could be developed down the road as well, which haven't even been thought about yet.
The DNR has proposed new rules to limit the definition of a legal hunting gun to those that fire using gunpowder or compressed air. Van Haren says all traditional guns will still be allowed, and the proposed change is just to anticipate what may be coming next.
