INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – A proposal that would allow Indiana hunters to use high-powered rifles for deer hunting has divided the state's more than 260,000 deer hunters.

Proponents of the rule change being considered by the state's Natural Resources Commission say allowing high-powered rifles would be just as safe as the weapons currently allowed and would give hunters more tools to choose from.

But The Indianapolis Star reports (http://indy.st/1AEHFZC ) other hunters strongly oppose using guns that can fire a bullet over longer distances. They say that high-powered rifles would give hunters an unfair advantage over their prey and harm deer populations over the long run.

Indiana Deer Hunters Association spokesman Doug Allman says the proposal also poses a threat to ongoing efforts to expand hunting into suburban areas where deer can become overpopulated.