JACKSON, Miss. – Next week when voters go to the polls for the general election they will see a proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot for the right to hunt and fish.
At a press conference held Wednesday by the Mississippi Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus, Senator Angela Hill said, “What this ballot initiative does, is put it in the Mississippi Constitution that all citizens in the state of Mississippi will forever have the constitutional right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife.”
If the amendment is passed hunting laws will still remain the same.
“Nothing will change as far as what your requirements will be, as far as having a license, bag limits or season. You will still need to abide by all of that,” said State Representative Scott Bounds. “If the voters pass it, it will affirm their right to hunt and fish in the state of Mississippi.”
“Today we would never ever, ever attempt to take away any of our rights to hunt or fish, but we don’t know what’s going to happen 10 years from now and we don’t know what’s going to happen 20 years from now, so it is imperative that all of us in the state, republicans and democrats alike go to the polls next Tuesday and vote for this initiative so that not only your rights are protected, but think about the rights of your kids and grandkids into the future,” said Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves.
Governor Phil Bryant said hunting and fishing has a $2.7 billion economic impact and nearly 66,000 people work related to hunting and fishing in the state of Mississippi.
“That’s enough to make sure that we put it in our constitution that it is forever our right.” Governor Phil Bryant said, “Men and women that have enjoyed this for generations will continue to do so. The great opportunity to hunt and fish in the great state of Mississippi will always be our opportunity and we will make certain of that come next Tuesday.”
The Mississippi legislature voted on the proposal in 2012. You can vote Nov. 4 on whether the right to hunt and fish should be protected by the State Constitution or not.
