Leftists continue to outdo themselves in coming up with moronic policies that seem straight out of The Onion or The Babylon Bee. The new bar for crazy has been set by Oregon activists who are on a crusade to make hunting, fishing, animal husbandry, and even pest control illegal.
That’s the upshot of Oregon Initiative Petition 28, officially titled the People for Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions Act, or PEACE Act. The measure would specifically eliminate the legal exemptions in Oregon’s animal abuse statutes that currently protect hunting, fishing, trapping, and certain farming and ranching practices, turning them into criminal offenses. Petition 28 has crossed the number of signatures needed to appear on the ballot in November, assuming those signatures are validated.
One would hope that this insanity doesn’t have much chance of actually passing, that common sense will prevail, and that the rights of Oregon hunters, anglers, farmers, and ranchers will be protected. But given recent policies in some blue states, none of those outcomes are guaranteed. The fact that so many Oregonians are willing to sign a petition to ban hunting and fishing is alarming in and of itself.
Moreover, there’s precedent for Oregon doing things that are totally insane. In 2021, Oregon voters passed a ballot measure decriminalizing virtually all hard drugs – a move which was eventually reversed after a disastrous period of rising overdoses, homelessness, crime, and social decay.
Given this context, is it really too much to imagine that those same voters would outlaw hunting and fishing?
Under Oregon Initiative Petition 28, in one fell swoop, all types of hunting and fishing would be outlawed instantly. Kids fishing off a dock would now be breaking the law. Father and son hunting trips would become criminal acts. Even raising pigs for the state fair would be banned.
At the same time, Oregon would be forced to immediately scramble to replace millions in lost revenue from sporting licenses and the outdoor recreation economy – all of which would completely vanish overnight.
Not even the nine federally recognized tribes of Oregon would be exempt from these restrictions. So much for the narrative that the political left in this country cares about the interests and traditions of Native Americans.
It goes without saying that the impact on Oregon’s agriculture industry would be utterly devastating, particularly for livestock operations. According to the Oregon Farm Bureau, “Oregon’s agriculture industry is a highly diversified powerhouse that generates over $5 billion in annual production value. Supporting more than 35,000 family-owned farms, the state produces over 225 different commodities and exports nearly 40% of its agricultural products globally.” Anyone raising cattle, hogs, sheep, or poultry in Oregon would be out of business.
Where would these losses be made up? Short-lived construction jobs building energy-sapping data centers? Phantom jobs in “AI” that already threaten to replace human labor? No one knows.
Then there’s the fact that roughly 97 percent of Oregon’s farms and ranches are family-owned. Whole communities would be washed away by this proposition. The Oregon Farm Bureau also reports that, “44 percent of all Oregon farmers and ranchers are women.” If Petition 28 becomes law, can we count it as part of the so-called “war on women” we always hear about from Democrats?
It’s worth taking a minute to question what the real motivation is here. Is it a cynical attention-grab by an exploitative special interest group? Is it a test run to gauge the public’s reaction for an even more radical attack on the American way of life? Is it a genuine belief among a cohort of misguided true believers that banning hunting and fishing – the very activities that help maintain our nation’s fragile ecological balance – will make the world a better place? Or is it just plain old hatred and disdain for country living and outdoorsmen?
Of course, the deeper concern is how quickly these crackpot ideas catch on. Like fire at the gas pumps, things spread fast in our social media-driven world – with truth, context, and deeper thinking often running way behind thoughtless and destructive ideas. In a time not long ago, a proposal like banning all hunting, fishing, and farming would have been laughed off by a broad majority of the citizenry. But here we are – with enough signatures collected to require the next step in the official process.
Should this petition initiative get on the ballot in November, its ultimate fate will rest with the voters. If it passes, all the important contributions from outdoorsmen to the health of the environment would quickly disappear. Conservation and preservation of the natural world depend on the very recreation that Oregon leftists are now seeking to ban.
It may be an inconvenient fact for those opposed to hunting and fishing, but without sound wildlife management practices, America’s natural game resources are vulnerable to overpopulation, starvation, disease, or worse. In fact, hunting and fishing are vital to maintaining important ecological balances and healthy living and encouraging Americans to respect and care for the natural world. Several states – like Wisconsin – actually have programs where meat harvested from hunting is donated to hungry families in need.
Petition 28 is a delusional response to a problem that does not exist. The arguments for its passage are rooted in ignorance or outright falsehoods. If it does appear on the ballot, Oregon voters should confidently reject it.
Connor Martin is a U.S. Marine and covers national policy issues.
