PROBLEM: Vermont has the least restrictive gun laws of any state. If a resident  wants to carry a concealed handgun in Vermont, he/she CANNOT get a permit to do so. You don’t need one. Buy your gun, pop it in your pocket and you are good to go.

RESULT: Vermont has the lowest gun murder rate, per capita,  of any state. Averaging more than zero, but less than one per 100,000 residents per year.

OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTINGS: Average, Zero.

ANOTHER RANDOM ISSUE: Comparing Vermont law with California law.

Vermont: Question: Can a resident own a bobcat or lynx as a pet?

Answer: To breed large cats in Vermont, you need a state issued permit.  To display a large cat in Vermont, you need a state issued permit. To personally own one as a pet, you CANNOT get a permit. The only requirement is to acquire the cat.

California: Question: Can a resident own a bobcat or lynx as a pet?

Answer: NO…Period…No exceptions.

In its infinite wisdom, California will also not allow residents to keep alligators as pets. In fact, you cannot even import an alligator belt, handbag, shoes, meat or any other crocodilian product. Perhaps because the species is endangered, (it’s not), or maybe it could become an invasive species as Burmese pythons are in Florida, (scary to think of a large population of breeding handbags running free and eating all the resources native handbags require.) Is it any surprise Jerry Brown is Governor of California?

In California, when the question of freedom arises, the answer is NO. You know those little round gold and silver candy beads Grandma bakes onto holidays cookies? Try to buy them in California. ( Where introducing restrictive legislation is the state sport. )