Minnesota State Senator Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa) sharply criticized House and Senate negotiators for stripping a provision from this year’s final environment finance bill that would have allowed all Minnesota hunters to use rifles for deer hunting. 

House and Senate members of the conference committee on House File 3911 removed a provision rolling back southern Minnesota’s shotgun-only hunting zone, an antiquated law dating back to the 1940s that has become obsolete as technology advancements have increased the range of shotguns and improved rifle accuracy. The provision would have eliminated the shotgun-only zone and put southern Minnesota on par with northern Minnesota and 47 other states. 

Proposals to eliminate the shotgun-only zone, which has bipartisan support in the legislature, had been included in three different environment bills across the 2023-2024 session – including the version of the 2024 environment bill that originally passed the Senate.  

“Rifles are safer than shotguns, period,” Senator Drazkowski said. “The Senate took a bipartisan stance in favor of eliminating the antiquated shotgun zone, but members of the conference committee didn’t fight for it. This will continue to be a top priority. The evidence is clear: if we want to improve safety, we must allow deer hunters to use rifles throughout the state. The shotgun-only zone needs to be fully and completely abolished.” 

An in-depth study commissioned by the Pennsylvania General Assembly found “shotguns firing modern saboted slugs have a larger danger area than the .30-06 rifle when the angle of elevation is approximately level (0 degrees); hence, given this firing condition, the shotgun is riskier than the rifle. In other words, the typical hunter discharging a 12 gauge shotgun fitted with a rifled barrel firing a .50- caliber saboted modern high-velocity ammunition at a deer on level terrain is riskier than a hunter firing a .30-06 with a 150-grain expanding bullet at the same deer.” 

In 2013, Wisconsin legalized rifles for statewide use. Since then, according to the Wisconsin DNR, total incidents are at the lowest level in the history of the state.  

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a 2003 Wisconsin DNR survey found 76% of hunters used a rifle while 24% used a shotgun. Yet from 1998-2008, 42% of incidents were with a shotgun. In other words, shotguns are responsible for a disproportionate amount of shooting incidents.