Right to Hunt and Fish

Proposition 6 on the November Ballot in Texas provides for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing Texans a right to hunt and fish.  It’s not a new idea – Vermont’s constitution gave their citizens that right in 1777, and as of today, 17 other states offer that guarantee.

The proposed amendment would add a Section 34 to Article 1 of the Texas Constitution. The following text would be added by the proposed measure's approval:

Sec. 34.

(a) The people have the right to hunt, fish, and harvest wildlife, including by the use of traditional methods, subject to laws or regulations to conserve and manage wildlife and preserve the future of hunting and fishing.
(b) Hunting and fishing are preferred methods of managing and controlling wildlife.
(c) This section does not affect any provision of law relating to trespass, property rights, or eminent domain.
(d) This section does not affect the power of the legislature to authorize a municipality to regulate the discharge of a weapon in a populated area in the interest of public safety.

^{I have not been hunting in years, and have bought my fishing license several years without ever going fishing, but I support the amendment.  The main argument against the amendment is that it is unnecessary, and most editorials for it say that, while it may not be necessary, it doesn’t hurt anything.  Although most Texans  assume we have the right to hunt and fish already, a huge majority of the legislature voted for the bill that put the proposition on the ballot. There were only three votes against it in the Senate and only one against it in the House.} 

^{For my money, one of the main arguments for the amendment is that it is opposed by both PETA and the Houston Chronicle.}