THIS MAY MAKE YOUR DAY!
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 YEARLY 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 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.
" America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within the system,
but too early to shoot the bastards."
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 to defend
themselves. Let them contribute their fair share and pay their own way.
Sounds reasonable to me! Non-gun owners require more police to protect them
and this fee should go to paying for their defense!
Originally Posted by offshoredrilling
Amherst NY is typically one of the 10 safest cities in the US, one of the nicest sections of Amherst butts right up against one of the worst parts of the city of Buffalo.Kinda blows your theory of gun laws and ownership impacting crime. Vermont has a population of a little over 600,000, Considerably less that the population of Erie or monroe counties.I beleive Burlington is the largest city with a population of less than 50,000. Did you consider That a low population density has more of an impact on Vermont's crime rate than gun ownership?
A google of murder rates by state reveals a map that looks alot like a map of the recent election. Southern states Have a higher than average murder rate. Less densely populated states like VT, ND, SD, and ID have considerably lower murder rates than the national average. WHAT A SURPRISE! As of 2009, NY's murder rate was 4 per 100,00 of population the lowest among the top 10 most populated states, quite impressive. A Look at violent crime rates shows SC,TN,NV,FLA, and LA leading the way.
NO IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. What about the case where a gun owner shoots a loved one, the more likely scenario than a gun owner shooting a criminal, who would investigate that case? His next door neighbors? Doesn't the police arresting one criminal reduce a person's chance to confront that criminal in the future and thus a benefit to the gun owner? under the plan, that the gun owner would receive unpaid for benefits, subsidized by the non gun owners. Moreover, You seem to think it's a good idea to put the law of people who's only qualification is their ability to pass a gun ownership background check. BRILLIANT. Your ASSumption that high rates of gun ownership reduces crime is not borne out by the statistics. Of the top 5 states in violent crime, only one has a lower than average gun ownership rate. NY is one of the lowest gun ownership states yet has a little less than average violent crime rate. Please explain the lack of a correlation.