Regardless of who, what and why, Issue 1 is on the ballot, and Ohio sportsmen must decide – should you take an active role in protecting Ohio’s Constitution or should you continue to stand on the sidelines letting animal-rights extremists and gun-control advocates use the ballot to crater our outdoor traditions and heritage.
Ohio’s Constitution has stood for over 170 years. But animal-rights advocates are always working to undermine sportsmen, including working to change state Constitutions all across our great nation. Indeed, many ballot initiatives do not receive enough signatures to make it on the ballot, but some do. This may not be the case in Ohio today or even tomorrow, but sportsmen must take advantage of every opportunity to protect the future of hunting, fishing and trapping.
Advocates working to eliminate our way of life are steadily working their way from the coasts to “middle America.” We do not have to tell you how sportsmen have fared in the West and Northeast. It has not been pretty, with new battle lines drawn each and every day.
But it wasn’t always this way. Every time you hear someone here in Ohio say, “that will never happen here,” ask them where they get this idea. Has anything not changed in Ohio over time? It’s just foolish to believe our outdoor traditions will always be secure. Many who live in states where our heritage is regularly attacked can recall a day when “that will never happen here,” too. They were as wrong then as Ohio residents who claim the same now. Let’s work to make sure that Ohio never becomes such a place.
As an example, Oregon was once as hunter friendly as any state in the nation. Please note while reading this story that Oregon has a higher percentage of residents who buy hunting licenses than Ohio does right now, today. Yet just last year, a ballot initiative was passed that makes it nearly impossible to buy any firearm in the state for any reason. And now, the animal extremists are going for even more this year – an outright ban on hunting – as they have done before.
This is a social post from supporters of “IP3,” a ballot initiative to ban all killing and breeding of animals statewide. Yes, this “IP3” ballot initiative would ban all hunting. All a ballot initiative needs to pass is millions of dollars of support. It’s really that simple. And because animal extremists now have billions of dollars in reserves, every one of them has a chance.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance will not turn a blind eye here in Ohio. We also won’t let opponents of Issue 1 use hyperbole and divisive issues to confuse voters. The Sportsmen’s Alliance has decided that here in Ohio, we aren’t waiting for anti-hunting, anti-gun or animal extremists to show up and start spending millions in the state to push Constitutional ballot issues to destroy hunting, fishing and trapping.
Supporting Issue 1 is your chance to protect Ohio’s sportsmen’s traditions and heritage by requiring 60% of Ohioans to agree before changing the state’s Constitution. Our own U.S. Constitution requires a two-thirds vote (66%) of the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, after which three-quarters (75%) of the states must also approve the language for it to be approved.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance knows you have heard plenty about Issue 1, below is a reminder of the proposed Constitutional Amendment language as it is printed on the ballot:
- Requires that any proposed amendment to the Constitution of the State of Ohio receive the approval of at least 60 percent of eligible voters voting on the proposed amendment,
- Requires that any initiative petition filed on or after January 1, 2024, with the Secretary of State (SoS) proposing to amend the Constitution of the State of Ohio be signed by at least five percent of the electors of each county (88) based on the total vote in the county for governor in the last preceding election.
- Specifies that additional signatures may not be added to an initiative petition proposing to amend the Constitution of the State of Ohio filed with the SoS on or after January 1, 2024, proposing to amend the Constitution of the State of Ohio.
We are not the only ones that feel Ohio’s Constitution deserves this protection, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Restaurant Association, the Ohio Chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, the National Shooting Sports Association, along with several other organizations.
These groups, along with the Sportsmen’s Alliance, agree: Ohio’s Constitution must be protected.
Do not forget to share this important message with your family, friends and fellow sportsmen urging them to Support heritage, Support Issue 1.
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
