House Approves Terrill/Coffee Hunting & Fishing Protections

Members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives voted today to give Oklahomans the opportunity to protect their right to hunt and fish by amending the state Constitution in November.

Senate Joint Resolution 38, by state Rep. Randy Terrill
(R-Moore) and state Sen. Glenn Coffee (R-Oklahoma City), would place a state question on the November ballot allowing citizens to determine whether the right to hunt and angle and take game and fish should be protected by the state Constitution.

"Oklahoma has a long tradition of hunting and fishing that precedes statehood by centuries," Terrill said. "Our right to hunt and fish is inherent and deserves constitutional protection, especially given the increasingly radical actions of liberal activist groups targeting outdoor gaming around the nation. This bill gives our citizens the chance to protect their rights from being taken away by people who have no respect for our traditions and values."

The resolution will add a new section to the State Constitution that gives all Oklahomans the right to hunt, trap, fish, and take game and fish. The legislation would prevent new state laws from prohibiting anyone from engaging in such activities.

The bill has received the support of both the Oklahoma Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association.

In a joint memorandum of support, Joel Partridge, Oklahoma State Liaison for the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action, and Darren LaSorte, Manager of Hunting Policy for the NRA-ILA, urged lawmakers to support Senate Joint Resolution 38.

"Enshrining the right to hunt, fish and trap in the Oklahoma Constitution will protect the state's rich hunting heritage for generations to come against attacks from the well-funded anti-hunting interest groups like the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)," Partridge and LaSorte wrote. "The group spends $120 million annually lobbying to incrementally stop hunting and animal agriculture across the country," Terrill said.

“I am very pleased that the House voted overwhelmingly to support this legislation to protect our state’s rich hunting and fishing heritage,” said Coffee, R-Oklahoma City. “Unfortunately, the rights of hunters and fishers are coming under attack across the country, such as efforts to ban fishing by declaring that fish feel pain. SJR 38 gives the Oklahomans a chance to vote to add protections for hunting and fishing to our constitution.”

The letter states that Senate Joint Resolution 38 will "provide truly meaningful protections against the animal 'rights' radicals." Partridge and LaSorte note that sportsmen generated $573.2 million in state economic activity in 2007 and created 6,755 jobs, according to the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

Senate Joint Resolution 38 passed the Oklahoma House of Representatives today and now returns to the state Senate.