A democratic legislator from Milwaukee is thinking of pushing forward legislation that would clarify, according to his personal position and in his rather inarticulate wording, whether “it’s legal or un-legal for someone to carry a gun.” While this little piece centers on just one state’s legislation, it highlights the philosophy of those who would outlaw guns.

Representative Leon Young (D) from Milwaukee, given the not very flattering “Worst Legislator” rating by Milwaukee Magazine  seems to want to make somewhat of a splash in the Wisconsin legislature, or at least make a name for himself in the public eye with his latest unconstitutional anti-gun philosophy, aside from the usual negative press he gets.

Young, who apparently subscribes to the new presidential jargon, wants to “create peace and give people hope,” and he thinks he can do this by outlawing the open carry law in the state of Wisconsin, which does not have concealed carry either.

That leaves... nothing. If one cannot open carry, and one cannot conceal carry, one could still own a gun but it would have to be left at home at all times. So much for the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

Rep. Young was interviewed on Wisconsin Public Television by Frederica Freyberg, with these excerpts being particularly enlightening:

Frederica Freyberg:
And do you suppose it matters where you are? You know, in the city of Milwaukee that has been beset with violent crime and gun violence may be a different matter than somewhere else in the state.

Leon Young:
I think it shouldn't. I think if someone up north, say, Superior, Wisconsin, if they're carrying a gun and they're not arrested or if they are arrested, then the same should happen here in Milwaukee. So I hate to see some places where this law might be enforced and some places it's not.

Frederica Freyberg:
So when the governor says that he thinks that it ought to be up to individual communities to perhaps pass their own ordinances on this matter, you think instead that it ought be an across-the-board so that it's very clear?

Leon Young:
I think so. You know, initially I wasn't aware of what the governor was talking about, but after reading up on it, I can see the pros and cons of it. I think what he basically is trying to get at is we have a state legislature, state assembly, state senate. If we can't address the issue as far as clarifying if it's legal or un-legal for someone to carry a gun, maybe we should allow the local city of Milwaukee or local counties to pass their own rules and laws, trying to address the issue.

After you finish trying to wrap your brain around those slightly contradicting comments, he continued with more:

Frederica Freyberg:
You know, on the flip side, the proponents of this would say, yes, but there is no confusion because open carry is legal in the state of Wisconsin. But the point is you would like it to be illegal. 

Leon Young:
Correct. If it is legal, I would like to ban it. I'm working on legislation right now to clarify it. And hopefully within a week or two weeks I'll get the results back to that. But let me -- I brought the article one, section 25 of the Wisconsin constitution and I just wanted to kind of touch on this particular issue. It said that people have the right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation or any other lawful purpose. The confusion comes from where it talks about the right to keep and bear arms and what does that mean. The right to keep, some people might say that might reference you can keep a gun in your house. And then the right to bear arms for security might be gives you the right to carry the gun. I was working with the drafters and they said they think they can draft something that can clarify so there's no confusion.

Frederica Freyberg:
I think everyone would be good with clarity on this, to be sure. How difficult do you suppose it will be to change the gun laws in Wisconsin? 

Leon Young:
Well, I will get support; it will be easier to get support from my colleagues here in Milwaukee area and southeastern Wisconsin. But it seems like up north it would be tough to get people to sign on to any legislation or vote in favor of some legislation. So I think that gets back to what the governor was saying, to allow local units of government to enact their own rules to address this issue.

And he thinks the Wisconsin State Constitution is confusing? This man doesn’t even go in for the regular anti-gun argument that condescends to allow hunters to have guns for sport. He would simply redefine the definitions of “right to keep” and “bear arms,” to fit his personal predilections.

The only things that are really clear here, is that Leon Young doesn’t understand the Constitution of the United States or its original intent as far as the Second Amendment goes, and that he doesn’t belong in the state legislature. If he and his ilk rule the day, Wisconsinites will be moving en masse to states like Montana, and now possibly Texas, where the people understand gun rights and where they are protected from overzealous anti-gunners and federal agencies and future tyrants who would take them all away.

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Peter Steele said:

	RE Gun Ownership My late father was left without a gun to defend himself because his gun collection was in Ted Kennedy's Taxachusetts. He felt that the Russians were going to kill him for Jimmy Carter's 1985 film "The Day After". It can be said that the Carter Democrats killed my father and hurt me very badly. Dad and I were Taft-Goldwater-Reagan Republicans.
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May 15, 2009
Votes: -1

rheiney said:

Gun control for the masses? Hey - I'm all for gun control. Let's not stop at the citizens though - let's take 'em from the government royalty, the military, and the police too. Let's disarm everybody. Then we can have the utopia that pin-head Leon Young desires. Let's also do the same with health care. I expect Obama and all the other government royalty to be waiting on the same government rationed health care lines that they're setting up for the unwashed masses. Yeah - right...

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May 15, 2009 | url
Votes: +3

Sweet William said:

Interesting... It amazes me that within Wisconsin, Mr. Leon Young, such an obviously inarticulate and uneducated individual, has been elected as a representative. Worse, he has been given a position to blissfully regulate the lives of constituents, relieving them of individual freedoms and personal liberty. How do individuals such as Leon Young get themselves elected? Can the majority of voting constituents be so ignorant? Obviously. "un-legal"...how does one expect to seriously debate with an individual of such intellect? Perhaps, during the next election, the citizens of Mr. Leon Young's district will consider voting for someone possessing a basic education and understanding for the Constitution of the United States of America.

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May 18, 2009
Votes: +5

Bliss Tew said:

... Someone in Wisconsin needs to read to Leon Young the Declaration of Independence and explain it to the poorly educated fellow. He obviously doesn't understand the proper role of government is to protect the Rights individuals are endowed with by their Creator such as life and liberty. He doesn't understand the concept of what a Right is, that it's irevokable because it comes from God. He needs a dictionary so he can have someone read to him the definition of "Keep" (own) and "Bear" (carry). Maybe, if someone with a clear understanding helped him to gain understanding, in embarrassment he'd drop his convoluted line of thinking. Well, it's 3:00 a.m. and I couldn't sleep, so now reading about Leon Young's bid to disarm the people of Wisconsin, will I be able to sleep better? Well it is exasperating if not exhausting, so maybe.

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May 19, 2009
Votes: +4

MarkGlen said:

	Anti-gun reasoning flawed If people can only keep guns in their homes and nowhere else then what if a person has no home? Or, what if they are in transit from one house to another?
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May 19, 2009 | url
Votes: +3