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 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. Vermont¹s 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 ........"

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.

Not really a fan of this. Again, punishing the innocent, just as magazine restrictions and weapons bans punish those who have commited no wrong.