Quote:

---

(Reuters) - Italian hunting enthusiasts have killed 13 people and wounded 33 in shooting accidents since the season opened in September, increasing pressure to reform antiquated hunting laws.

The death toll swelled across the country this weekend when a 16-year old was killed by a friend while hunting, a pensioner was shot and wounded in his garden and a cyclist was hospitalized after being hit with grapeshot.

Hunting groups agree with environmentalists that the law - which allows hunters to roam on private land and discharge firearms within 150 meters (yards) of a house - should be changed. But the sides have become entrenched in a long-running stalemate over how.

---

Quote:

---

The number of hunters has declined steeply to about 700,000 from two million three decades ago, with most aged between 65 and 78 years, according to farming association Coldiretti.

---