Patriot wrote:
http://www.gunlaws.com/GFZ/ind ex.htm
Well, not everyone thinks my idea is so stupid evidently. And I just sent a copy of this to my rep here in MA suggesting it's a good way to raise revenue here in assachusetts. Hey, we're broke right? Maybe it will work. Here's what I just got in.
..........
> 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.
>
> "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. Let them contribute their fair share and pay their own way.