HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 12
INTRODUCED BY D. FUCHS, BALYEAT, BOOKOUT-REINICKE, EVERETT, FISHER, GALLUS, GILLAN, HAINES, HAWK, HEDGES, JACKSON, LAKE, LANGE, MAEDJE, MATTHEWS, MENDENHALL, MOOD, MORGAN, A. OLSON, PETERSON, RICE, ROSS, B. RYAN, SALES, SCHRUMPF, STEINBEISSER, STOKER, B. THOMAS, TROPILA, WAGMAN, WITT
A JOINT RESOLUTION OF THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA EXPRESSING A RECOGNITION BY THE PEOPLE OF MONTANA THAT INDIVIDUAL CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES, ACTING TOGETHER WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL AND IN SUPPORT OF OUR MILITARY FORCES, ARE THE SOLE EFFECTIVE MEANS OF THWARTING TERRORISM IN THESE UNITED STATES; ASSERTING THAT FREEDOM OF INDIVIDUALS WILL NOT BE PRESERVED BY THE TRANSFER OF POWER FROM INDIVIDUALS TO GOVERNMENT IN THE NAME OF FIGHTING TERRORISM; AND ENCOURAGING CONGRESS TO PASS AN ACT THAT SUPPORTS AND AUTHORIZES INDIVIDUALS TO INTERDICT TERRORISM WHEREVER IT MAY OCCUR ON THE SOIL OF THE UNITED STATES, RECOGNIZES THE IMPORTANCE OF INDIVIDUALS HAVING TOOLS TO FIGHT TERRORISM, REMOVES CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY FOR ACTIONS TAKEN TO INTERDICT TERRORISM, AND CREATES A REWARD FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO PLAY AN EFFECTIVE PART IN PREVENTING TERRORISM AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES.
WHEREAS, the people of these United States have a long and rich history and tradition of nongovernmental and individual action in preventing offenses against the people, business interests, and political structures of our country; and
WHEREAS, our dedicated military personnel, law enforcement agencies, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel require the full support of individual citizens in order to be fully effective; and
WHEREAS, President George W. Bush has stated that effective prevention of terrorist acts depends on the alertness and individual action of all citizens of these United States; and
WHEREAS, of all the tragedies planned by terrorists for the event now known as 9-11, the only one of those terrorists acts effectively opposed and prevented was opposed and prevented by brave individual citizens acting intelligently, spontaneously, and without government sanction or direction; and
WHEREAS, it is the history of our tradition and system of self-government that government trusts individual citizens to act appropriately and make wise individual decisions absent the constraining hand of government; and
WHEREAS, no amount of police and security forces will ever suffice to interdict all terrorist acts without the active support of a watchful, vigilant, and free citizenry; and
WHEREAS, the only people who have a high likelihood of being present at the time and the location of an intended terrorist act are the citizens of these United States.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MONTANA:
That Congress be urged to pass a law named "The Terrorist-Free America Act" in recognition of the nation's rich and proper history of self-reliance and the importance of applying that philosophy of self-reliance to help defend these United States against terrorist acts. The act by Congress is recommended to contain the following features:
(1) The people of these United States are exhorted to participate individually in the war on terrorism.
(2) The participation of individual people in interdicting acts of terrorism should be both passive, such as being observant, and active, such as individual acts of contention and interdiction against any terrorists attempting to commit a terrorist act.
(3) Individual people participating in the prevention of acts of terrorism must not be prevented from having at hand the tools necessary for such prevention, especially firearms, by the federal government, any state or local government, or any subdivision of these governments.
(4) Individual people assisting in prevention of terrorist acts must be exempted from criminal and civil liability arising out of such preventative acts, according to established and standard doctrine for allowable uses of lethal force.
(5) Medals and citations of award should be created to honor and reward individuals who materially serve their country by preventing any act of terrorism on United States soil.
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