MN:League of Minnesota Cities Admits Many Cities Work to "Chill" Exercise of Second Amendment

In a recent article in the Star Tribune,  an interesting admission was noted in an advocacy piece pushing for more infringements on the exercise of the second amendment.    After documenting how some cities are flouting the rule of law, and apparently approving of it, the author notes that:

The League of Minnesota Cities has taken a stream of calls over the years from city governments trying to find ways to discourage people from bringing guns to city buildings, Finn said. Their advice in a blog post includes pointing out that cities may regulate the discharge of firearms and that guns can be banned in city halls attached to or part of a courthouse.

This shows a clear desire on the part of some Minnesota cities to "chill" the exercise of the second amendment.    You cannot get more explicit than saying that you want to do so "to discourage people from bringing guns to city buildings".   The reform of Minnesota law that allows people with a permit to legally bring guns to city buildings has been in effect for a decade.   The article does not mention a single case where a permit holder used their permit to illegally attack a city official during that period.  Minnesota permit holders commit considerably less murders than the average Minnesotan, who commits considerably fewer than the average American.

In fact, the average concealed carry permit holder is much less likely to commit murder than the average police officer in the United States.

The city council member is concerned that she might anger someone over her exercise of power over their property in a zoning dispute.   It could happen.  Here are her words:

 “Our decisions can impact people: Whether or not they can build onto their home, whether they can put up a building on their property,” she said. “That’s what we put our name on the line to do. But we don’t put our name on the line to be killed … People have to do these jobs. We don’t want it to be so unsafe that no one will do it anymore.”

Control of zoning is one of the greatest places for arbitrary and tyrannical use of power available to local governments.    There have been a few cases in the last couple of decades where people felt they were so wronged by the central planner and zoning enforcement that they have struck back at the local officials with the illegal use of deadly force.   That these incidents are very rare shows just how committed most people are to the rule of law.   Most do not occur inside of government buildings at a contentious hearing or meeting.   These problems build for years, and those who feel wronged tend to plan their revenge over a considerable period.    Ms LeCuyer seems to feel that murders are likely because ordinary people experience an emotional outburst, the "Progressive Elite Model" of murder, which has been widely discredited.

There is a happy ending to this article.  Ms LeCuyer found out that she cannot chill the exercise of the second amendment as easily as she can deny someone the ability to build on their property.  She decides that she should accept responsibility for her own safety, rather than depend on a sign on the door of a public building.

LeCuyer said she wasn’t fearful during the last contentious meeting, but it made her think. An avid hunter, she said she feels safe around guns and acquiring a permit to carry a weapon is on her bucket list. It simply hadn’t been a priority.

“It got higher now, though, because frankly all of us on the City Council also could carry and have them openly displayed at the council,” she said.

I welcome Ms LeCuyer to the ranks of armed citizens.  Carrying a weapon with you does much to promote independence and a responsible mind set.   It is a mindset that promotes freedom.  It is an attitude shift that promotes the second amendment rather than attempting to chill its exercise.

Ms LeCuyer may be diligent in her duties.  Being a city council member is not an easy job, but it is far too easy to fall into the trap of believing that you are a member of the elite because of the election that put you in that position.   I hope that she takes the concerns of property owners into consideration when she rules on zoning issues, and not just those of central planners or the developers.  People with money and power often get the zoning decisions that they want because of perceived tax revenues or other considerations.

Much of the purpose of the second amendment is to insure that elites are not the only armed people in society.  City council members do well when they remember that they will be an ordinary citizen one day.

©2014 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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