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Wisconsin's Legislature may pass a law that, finally, will increase our freedoms. It would be a mistake to take that result for granted, however. There are many who claim to care about us who are willing to limit or compromise our constitutional rights. We have to watch them carefully.
The constitutional right I refer to, of course, is the right to keep and bear arms, Article I, Section 25 of the Wisconsin Constitution, passed in 1998. It makes bearing arms a right, rather than a privilege, just like the right to free speech.
Just like free speech, we should not expect to have to purchase a permit or jump through bureaucratic hoops to exercise our freedoms. Some who oppose law-abiding fellow citizens from bearing arms would like to pretend that the Constitutional amendment was never passed. They are bringing up the same old arguments they offered back in the '90s. Those arguments are now irrelevant. Our statutes must now conform to the constitution. That is how the system is supposed to work.
James Madison said, "Americans have the right and advantage of being armed -- unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms."
Rep. Donna Seidel, D-Wausau, along with most Democrats and some big-government Republicans, would prefer to control us with regulations, fees and bureaucratic hoops to jump through, like applying for a driver's license. Driving is not a constitutional right; it is a privilege. Our constitution says, "The people (Wisconsin citizens) have the right to keep and bear arms (carry) for security, defense, hunting, recreation or any other lawful purpose." Is any part of that simple declarative sentence not clear to anyone who can read?
Should citizens who refuse to take a test or pay for a license be denied their right to bear arms? The constitution doesn't say, "The people have the right to keep and bear arms if they pay for it." But beware; Wisconsin Gun Owners warns that, in addition to Senator Galloway's bill, there is at least a couple other Republican bills introduced that would require a license, create a new bureaucracy, and put names into a database. Do not be tempted to settle for anything less than constitutional carry. Take nothing for granted.
The only legitimate function of government is to recognize and protect the rights of those under its jurisdiction. For further reading, see the Declaration of Independence. Any requirement to obtain a permit to exercise a right is, at the least, an infringement of that right and, at worst, an outright denial of it.
There are currently four states that recognize and protect their citizens' right to keep and bear arms: Vermont, Alaska, Arizona and Wyoming. Several other states are considering Constitutional Carry laws. Wisconsin has a great opportunity to join these states and end its denial of our citizens' most basic liberties.
Not all Wisconsinites need to be armed, but everyone has the freedom to keep and bear arms. Freedom is in our interests for many reasons, while gun control (a.k.a. "victim disarmament") is against the public interest, whatever the excuse.
Jim Maas of Schofield is a member of the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin.
Wisconsin's Legislature may pass a law that, finally, will increase our freedoms. It would be a mistake to take that result for granted, however. There are many who claim to care about us who are willing to limit or compromise our constitutional rights. We have to watch them carefully.
The constitutional right I refer to, of course, is the right to keep and bear arms, Article I, Section 25 of the Wisconsin Constitution, passed in 1998. It makes bearing arms a right, rather than a privilege, just like the right to free speech.
Just like free speech, we should not expect to have to purchase a permit or jump through bureaucratic hoops to exercise our freedoms. Some who oppose law-abiding fellow citizens from bearing arms would like to pretend that the Constitutional amendment was never passed. They are bringing up the same old arguments they offered back in the '90s. Those arguments are now irrelevant. Our statutes must now conform to the constitution. That is how the system is supposed to work.
James Madison said, "Americans have the right and advantage of being armed -- unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms."
Rep. Donna Seidel, D-Wausau, along with most Democrats and some big-government Republicans, would prefer to control us with regulations, fees and bureaucratic hoops to jump through, like applying for a driver's license. Driving is not a constitutional right; it is a privilege. Our constitution says, "The people (Wisconsin citizens) have the right to keep and bear arms (carry) for security, defense, hunting, recreation or any other lawful purpose." Is any part of that simple declarative sentence not clear to anyone who can read?
Should citizens who refuse to take a test or pay for a license be denied their right to bear arms? The constitution doesn't say, "The people have the right to keep and bear arms if they pay for it." But beware; Wisconsin Gun Owners warns that, in addition to Senator Galloway's bill, there is at least a couple other Republican bills introduced that would require a license, create a new bureaucracy, and put names into a database. Do not be tempted to settle for anything less than constitutional carry. Take nothing for granted.
The only legitimate function of government is to recognize and protect the rights of those under its jurisdiction. For further reading, see the Declaration of Independence. Any requirement to obtain a permit to exercise a right is, at the least, an infringement of that right and, at worst, an outright denial of it.
There are currently four states that recognize and protect their citizens' right to keep and bear arms: Vermont, Alaska, Arizona and Wyoming. Several other states are considering Constitutional Carry laws. Wisconsin has a great opportunity to join these states and end its denial of our citizens' most basic liberties.
Not all Wisconsinites need to be armed, but everyone has the freedom to keep and bear arms. Freedom is in our interests for many reasons, while gun control (a.k.a. "victim disarmament") is against the public interest, whatever the excuse.
Jim Maas of Schofield is a member of the Libertarian Party of Wisconsin.
