FRANKFORT, Ky. (WKYT) - Officials at the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources said a proposed amendment won't change the way hunting and fishing are regulated here in Kentucky. Instead, they said, it will protect the ability of future generations to hunt and fish.

Mark Marraccini, spokesman for the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, says proposed amendments like this one are gaining traction across the country.

"15 other states have already added amendments to their constitutions to protect these rights. There are three other states who have it on the ballot tomorrow," he said.

The idea, he said is not to change any regulations, but to protect hunting and fishing from any future threats.

"It's foresight. It gives some security or protection to those rights and helps ensure that our children will be able to do it, and theirs, and theirs, and theirs," said Marraccini

Right now, Fish and Wildlife officials say there aren't any threats to hunters' rights. Because of that, PETA officials called the proposed amendment "frivolous". Marraccini, though, says it's a big deal.

"About 34,000 jobs annually are dependent on hunting and fishing. You're talking about a $3 billion kick to Kentucky's economy," Marraccini said.

The proposed amendment would not affect any regulations regarding licensing, trespassing, or property rights.

In addition to protecting the right to hunt and fish in Kentucky, the amendment would declare hunting and fishing a preferred method of wildlife management and control.