This was sent to me via e-mail and thought it would be fun to pass along
This makes sense! There is no reason why gun owners should have to pay
for police protection for people not wanting to own guns. Let them
contribute.
Finally, A Sensible Gun Registration Plan
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 "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 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.
New gun law for Vermont!
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