Nearly half of the states—24 to be precise—have some form of constitutional protections for hunting. When you consider that all 50 states have hunting seasons, just under half sounds low. This could change this year, as Ohio’s Senate is considering a proposal to establish a constitutional right to fish and hunt.
As this is being written, the Ohio bill was in the Senate General Government Committee. If the bill were to be passed and filed with Secretary of State Frank LaRose, it would be submitted to the state’s November ballot.
This proposed constitutional amendment’s primary sponsor is state Sen. Stephen Huffman (R). Huffman has cited activists’ efforts to ban hunting and fishing in Oregon as a reason for Ohio to do this now.
Huffman is referring to a petition to ban all hunting in Oregon that is getting close to making the November ballot. It is called the PEACE Act (an acronym for “People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions Act”). According to the petition, “The purpose of the People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions (PEACE) Act is to remove the current exemptions that allow for the inhumane and unnecessary abuse, neglect, and assault of animals.” This “inhumane and unnecessary abuse, neglect, and assault of animals” would include hunting.
Due to such attempts to ban hunting, Huffman said, adding the section to the constitution will ensure the permanence of the hunting and fishing rights in Ohio.
Meanwhile, in Delaware, another constitutional amendment to protect hunting has been introduced. This legislation is currently awaiting consideration in the Delaware Senate Executive Committee. If approved, the proposal would begin the constitutional process of amending Delaware’s Constitution. To become part of the state’s constitution the measure would need to pass two consecutive General Assemblies with a two-thirds vote in each chamber.
This effort has been a modern movement that the NRA has supported. Vermont’s protection of hunting dates back to 1777, but the effort to enact the rest of the constitutional provisions—in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming—began in 1996 and continues today.
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