New look at our 2nd Amendment

[bowfisher]

WHAT A GREAT IDEA !!!!!!!!!!!



Sensible Gun Registration Plan That Will Work

Vermont State Rep. Fred Maslack has read the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as well as Vermont 's own Constitution very carefully, and his strict interpretation of these documents is popping some eyeballs in New England and elsewhere.

Maslack recently proposed a bill to register "non-gun-owners" and require them to pay a $500 fee to the state. Thus Vermont would become the first state to require a permit for the luxury of going about unarmed and assess a fee of $500 for the privilege of not owning a gun.

Maslack read the "militia" phrase of the Second Amendment as not only affirming the right of the individual citizen to bear arms, but as a clear mandate to do so. He believes that universal gun ownership was advocated by the Framers of the Constitution as an antidote to a "monopoly of force" by the government as well as criminals. Vermont 's constitution states explicitly that "the people have a right to bear arms for the defense of themselves and the State" and those persons who are "conscientiously scrupulous of bearing arms" shall be required to "pay such equivalent." Clearly, says Maslack, Vermonters have a constitutional obligation to arm themselves, so that they are capable of responding to "any situation that may arise."

Under the bill, adults who choose not to own a firearm would be required to register their name, address, Social Security Number, and driver's license number with the state. "There is a legitimate government interest in knowing who is not prepared to defend the state should they be asked to do so," Maslack says Vermont already boasts a high rate of gun ownership along with the least restrictive laws of any state .. it's currently the only state that allows a citizen to carry a concealed firearm without a permit. This combination of plenty of guns and few laws regulating them has resulted in a crime rate that is the third lowest in the nation.

This makes sense! There is no reason why gun owners should have to pay taxes to support police protection for people not wanting to own guns. Let them contribute their fair share and pay their own way.

America

Home of the free,

BECAUSE of the Brave.

[mmcnx2]

I think it is a great idea. Just make the fee annual and you will either have a great revenue stream or an increase of sales at local business.

Can we get something like this on a national level.

[Rem700]

Whats next tax incentives for owning multiple guns?
Insurance rebates for home owners owning multiple guns?
Cash for carrying weapons, Also known as CCW?

I would be retiring in Vermont

[mnglocker]

OR simply the .gov knowing who has guns via proccess of elimination, hense who to visit first.

[VikesFan1]

I like it.

[DeanC]

Not bad.

I think it would be better to make voters show up at the polls with a gun before they were allowed to vote. And since the arm of choice of the standing army is the AR-15, I suggest that all prospective voters must show up with at least one of these to prove their allegiance and vigilance.

[nyffman]

....it's currently the only state that allows a citizen to carry a concealed firearm without a permit.

Ummm, what about Alaska. Other than that, though, interesting twist in the logic of the second amendment. Not likely to go anywhere in the foreseeable future.

[jgalt]

This isn't new news - and is a duplicate post:

http://www.mnguntalk.com/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=10780&p=110323&hilit=vermont#p110323

That's not to say I don't like it, or that it shouldn't be brought up as widely and often as possible though...

[DeanC]

Mods, please reset Bowfisher and Nyffman's post counts to zero.

[mnglocker]

....it's currently the only state that allows a citizen to carry a concealed firearm without a permit.

Ummm, what about Alaska. Other than that, though, interesting twist in the logic of the second amendment. Not likely to go anywhere in the foreseeable future.

Or Montana. (inside of city limits you need a permit to conceal, but a city by definition there has to have a population of 100k or more) Oh yeah, and the minimum age for carry there is 14.

[westhope]

Dean C wrote:

And since the arm of choice of the standing army is the AR-15, I suggest that all prospective voters must show up with at least one of these to prove their allegiance and vigilance.

A better idea would be that the number of guns brought to the poll determines the number of votes you can cast. Of course, the government would need a program so everyone legal to own a gun could have at least one.

[nyffman]

http://www.masslive.com/sports/index.ss ... rmont.html

Aparently, this is false as far as being a real proposal at the present time. However, it was a real bill in MA in 2000 for real. Of course, you know how that turned out.