The Sportsmen's Advocate Summer 2023 | Page 36

Many claim that Right to Hunt and Fish Amendments are not necessary , that states like Florida will always have hunting and fishing , and that we shouldn ’ t worry about a problem that will never materialize in the Sunshine State . Actually , nothing could be further from the truth .

Animal extremists have targeted Florida in recent years for a host of issues that seek to diminish hunting and fishing rights in the state . Just in 2022 alone , two ballot measures were circulated for signature gathering that would have limited hunting in the state , and in the 2023 legislative session , a bill was introduced that would have regulated sporting dog and hobby breeders as commercial enterprises , instituting dozens of new requirements that would have driven most , if not all of them , out of business altogether . One could say , “ well , that doesn ’ t affect me ,” but that would be missing the point . Every time one segment of our community is attacked , we all suffer .

The experience from other states shows much the same . Currently in Washington , which has no Right to Hunt and Fish Amendment in the state ’ s constitution , the fish and wildlife commission is undergoing a dramatic upheaval with animal-extremist groups taking over and pushing traditional uses like hunting and fishing completely off the map . But anyone who thinks this radicalism started in the past two years would be dead wrong . The small incremental steps toward Washington state ’ s hard transition away from the North American Model began decades ago . The same can be true in any state in the nation .

Florida voters will have the opportunity to send a clear message to the animal extremists on election day in the fall of 2024 . Together , sportsmen from across the state can vote to secure the future for hunters and anglers and remind all that Florida is not a place where extreme animal-rights ideology will take a foothold . As always , when hunters and anglers stand together , united in purpose , we remain the most powerful political force in American history . Let ’ s remind everyone in Florida of this reality on Election Day 2024 . Let ’ s not look back 20 or 30 years from now and wonder what happened .

Fishing is under attack from animal extremists , too , in states like Oregon .

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Currently , 23 states have Right to Hunt and Fish Amendments . The years on the map are when these amendments were added to the states ' constitutions . California and Rhode Island have Right to Fish Amendments but do not protect hunting in their constitutions .

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