A bureaucratic oversight resulted in plans to renovate a computer system used for criminal background checks of Pennsylvania gun buyers at the beginning of hunting season, not a left-wing shot at the Second Amendment.

So said Gov. Ed Rendell this week, disputing claims of a partisan motive behind plans to temporarily shut down the Pennsylvania Instant Check System, which allows gun dealers to run quick criminal background checks on potential firearms buyers.

The computer system also screens applicants for jobs as teachers, school coaches and child care workers for criminal convictions and variety of sexual offenses. PICS is due for a routine upgrade, which the state police say will require the system to be offline for four days.

That drew red flags among members of the Pennsylvania Sportsmen's Association, who noted that state law permits PICS to be offline for periods no longer than 48 hours. When it was announced the shutdown would occur Sept. 2-6, hunters groups and gun retailers complained the dates coincide with the traditional start of hunting season (Canada goose Sept. 1-25, mourning dove Sept. 1-29, antlered and antlerless elk Sept. 2-29).

Rendell said he's considering ordering the state police to change the dates of the upgrade. He's convened a panel to recommend dates for the upgrade that may be less inconvenient to hunters. He's expected to announce the panel's findings this week.

Gun-mounted lights

A new law allows Pennsylvania hunters use lights mounted to their guns when night hunting for furbearers including coyotes, foxes, bobcats, raccoons, skunks, opossums and weasels. The law takes effect Saturday. Supporters of the law, including members of the Pennsylvania Predator Hunters Association, urged hunters to remember that hand-held or hat-mounted lights should be used to spot for game, and the gun-mounted lights should be used only as an aid in aiming. Gun-mounted lights should never be used for scanning for predators.