(not pointed at anyone in particular)
I think it is kind of ridiculous to argue the need for shotguns based on the assumption that the bulk of hunters are slobs, or that a large number of hunters are going to make the heinous error of shooting blindly into the air and causing a bullet to carry miles.
I hunt in SW Bracken County, KY. Opening day has between 1-3 shot strings per minute during the first 4 hours of the Rifle Opener. I've been hunting this location for 10 years. Any centerfire rifle is legal, but you may have no more than a 10-round magazine. Despite the incredible volume of fire and the extremely high density of hunters and deer. . .
a) No windows have ever been broken
b) No siding has ever received a bullet hole
c) No leaks have ever shown up in the roof attributable to a bullet
c) We have had no damage to any property whatsoever
Furthermore, I resided the house in 2002. At the time, the house had been standing since 1902. After 100 years standing, I found no evidence in the siding, studs, or other structures of the house to indicate bullet damage.
I have had exactly one incident in 10 years. In November 2001, I was walking across the yard between the house and the sheds and I did hear one bullet come tumbling overhead. It was probably a ricochet from a long way off. However, in the next decade, out in the worst of it, I have yet to hear a bullet in the trees while I'm in my stand.
To my knowledge, Ohio and Kentucky have similar morbidity due to hunting. Most incidents are due to a rookie hunter shooting someone at close range in a mistaken-for-game accident. That is something no limit on firearms is going to fix. I remember one episode in KY back in 2004 where a round went into a car door while the vehicle was going down the expressway, but that's about it. Most farmers I've met with over the years (on both sides of the Ohio) are more worried about squirrel hunters using 22 LR and coon hunters than they are about centerfire rifle.
