In a 44-4 vote, a bipartisan North Carolina Senate passed legislation Wednesday that will let voters choose whether to amend the North Carolina Constitution to safeguard citizens’ right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife. 

 

If Senate Bill 677 – sponsored by Sens. Danny Britt (R-Robeson), Norman Sanderson (R-Pamlico) and Tom McInnis (R-Richmond) – passes the House of Representatives and becomes law, voters will consider the constitutional amendment on the November 2018 ballot. Twenty-one other states already guarantee this right in their constitutions.

 

Hunting and fishing are integral parts of North Carolina’s heritage, economy and conservation efforts.  According to the most recent data available, North Carolina sportsmen and women spent $2.3 billion on hunting and fishing in North Carolina in 2011, generating $249 million in revenue and supporting more than 35,000 local jobs. The state issued 1.87 million hunting and fishing licenses in 2016 alone. 

 

“North Carolinians deserve to have their voices heard when it comes to protecting the hunting and fishing rights that have always been part of our heritage and way of life,” said Britt, Sanderson and McInnis in a joint statement. “We’re confident voters will agree that this amendment will help ensure North Carolina remains a sportsman's paradise for future generations.”