Do you agree that a permit should be required to exercise “Free Speech”?
South Dakota Representative Tim Goodwin wants you to consider it.
Yes, you have a Constitutional right to free speech. The only catch is, you would need to complete an application at the Sheriff’s Office so you could be vetted. When (and if) your application was approved… and you paid the $10.00 fee… you would be allowed to speak freely in public. A slightly higher fee would be proposed if you plan to speak before a group of 20 or more people.
I suppose the next proposal will allow “free speech” only in specific areas. Public buildings such as Court Houses would likely be “speech free zones”.
If this proposal bothers you, you can now take a deep breath. Representative Goodwin was only making this suggestion in an effort to demonstrate how ridiculous it is to require an application, permit and fee to carry a concealed weapon. In case you didn’t know, your Constitutional right to own and carry a firearm is in the 2nd Amendment… following the one the affords you the right to free speech. The 2nd Amendment also provides that this right to bear arms “shall not be infringed”.
Representative Goodwin made his “proposal” in response to the South Dakota Governor’s veto of a Constitutional Carry bill. The Governor had suggested language to amend the original bill, so as to make it acceptable to him. After the Legislature changed the bill to suit the Governor and it passed both the House and the Senate, he still vetoed the bill. There were many unhappy Legislators. Rep. Goodwin was one of them.
Point well made, Representative Goodwin. Thank you for serving.
***Gordon Howie is an author and CEO of Life and Liberty Media***
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If this were NJ the free speech permit should also be conditioned on the applicant demonstrating a “justifiable need” for the permit. It will be up to the licensing official exactly what that means.