Candidate's Questionnaire Page
Candidate's Name : Diane C. Wilson
Political Party: Libertarian
Office you are running for: State Senate
State: Texas
County: Collin [county of residence; district includes
18 counties, 16 in their entirety and parts of 2 more]
District: 30
1) Do you believe that the Second Amendment confirms the individual right
of every American citizen to possess and use (update of keep and bear) militia/military
weapons for individual self-defense, as well as for the defense of the State
/ National defense?
Absolutely yes!
2) If elected would you support legislation for the removal of firearm laws
and regulations? If your answer is yes, and if you are elected, what specific
legislation would you propose/support to ensure that this individual right
is protected? Which current laws which infringe upon this individual right
would you seek to repeal?
Generally speaking, I want to see the full intent of the 2nd Amendment realized
here in Texas. The passage of concealed carry licensing was a step in the
right direction. Now we need to go further and remove the requirement for
concealed carry "permit." In Vermont, one has only to be a citizen to carry
a concealed weapon. Other states, including Arizona, have open carry without
permits. I would like to move toward both concealed and open carry without
restrictions in Texas. The fact that current concealed carry permit holders
have been shown to have a lower incidence of firearm misuse than off-duty
police officers will help combat opposition to restoring this freedom.
3) What do you consider are "legitimate" reasons to own a firearm?
Check as many as apply:
[X ] Personal Defense
[X ] Home Defense
[X ] Defense of your country
(Unorganized Militia)
[X ] Hunting
[X ] Farm Use
[X ] Competitive Shooting
[X ] Informal Sport Shooting
[X ] Informal Target Practice
and/or Plinking
[X ] Collecting
[X ] Constitutional Rights
[X ] Other: For whatever
reason an individual chooses... no justification is necessary to exercise
an inalienable human right.
[X ] All of the above
[ ] None of the above
4) Would you support the banning of some firearms or ammunition? (IE: Saturday
night specials, "assault weapons", Hollow points, and "Safety Slugs") Why
and to what extent?
No, with the possible exceptions of nerve gas and/or nuclear weapons, as
they bring with them an inherent threat to the freedoms of others. Any weapon
available to a tactical military unit -- for instance, an infantry company
-- should be available for individual ownership. While I do not recommend
small weapons such as the .25 caliber "saturday night special", which are
unreliable and inadequate for personal defense, I support each individual's
right to select the weapon[s] he or she prefers.
5) Do you believe that firearms and/or firearm owners should be registered?
Which ones and why?
No, with the exception of violent (emphasis on violent) criminals. Even
then, judicial review should determine what restrictions are appropriate.
For example, a bar fight at 18 should not rescind firearms rights for life.
6) Do you support equal rights for all citizens of the United States regardless
of the person's sexuality / orientation and / or gender identity/expression?
Yes, with the qualification that the same confers no special rights, just
as I believe that my lack of a "Y" chromosome does not entitle me to special
treatment.
7) Which of the following would you be willing to support in regards to same-gender
and/or polyamorous marriages and/or civil unions?
Check as many as apply:
[ ] Domestic partnerships for same-sex couples
[ ] Domestic partnerships for opposite-sex couples
[ ] Domestic partnerships for polyamorous (more than
two consenting adults)
[ ] Same-sex marriages
[ ] Opposite sex marriages (What we have now)
[ ] Polyamarous marriages (between more than two consenting
adults)
[ ] All of the above. Everyone should have equal rights
under the law.
[ ] None of the above. Government has no role in defining
a marriage. Leave it to the church.
[X ] Other: None of the above. Government has no role in defining a
marriage. Leave it to the beliefs and values of the individuals involved.
Marital status in the eyes of our existing government is not appropriate.
No one should need a state license to marry. By the same token, many elements
of the market (for example, insurance companies) must be made to understand
that these same government licenses have no place in determining distribution
of benefits, etc. Progress has been made in this area, with the term "significant
other" gaining much more standing.
8) Do you support the right for people to act as they wish in a private setting,
with other consenting adults?
Yes.
9) In July 2000 the Police Dept. of Attleboro Massachusetts entered a private
party without a search warrant. The party was not open to the public or in
the business to make a profit. Any donations given were used to pay rent.
When the police entered, they arrested two people. The first person who
was arrested organized the event. The second person arrested was arrested
because she spanked her consenting adult partner with a wooden spoon. Do
you support the actions of the Attleboro police as given in this example?
Why?
No. In the situation described, the officers were out of line being there
in the first place, and the private actions of indivuals should be just that
- private.
10) Do you support equal immigration rights for partners of US residents,
regardless of their sexuality / orientation and / or gender identity/expression?
Yes, though not in the usual sense. As I indicated in question 7, I don't
think that marital status should be the basis of anything as far as the government
is concerned. Therefore, I do not believe that marriage to a US citizen
should automatically grant a set of "special" rights -- be that marriage
to the opposite sex, same sex, etc. As a Libertarian, however, I support
opening our borders to anyone who wants to pursue the American dream, with
the caveat that no social services, "free lunch," or welfare benefits are
part of that dream.
Do you have an additional statement to make that is not covered by this questionnaire?
Use as much space as you wish.
The Libertarian Party is the party of individual rights and individual responsibility.
As a Libertarian legislator, I will always vote to enhance individual liberties
while recognizing the responsibilities that go with those freedoms.
"What is ominous is the ease with which some people go from saying that
they don't like something to saying that the government should forbid it.
When
you go down that road, don't expect freedom to survive very long."
-- Thomas Sowell
"A society that does not recognize that each individual has values of
his
own which he is entitled to follow can have no respect for the dignity of
the
individual and cannot really know freedom."
-- F.A. Hayek
"If you can't answer a man's argument, all is not lost; you can still
call
him vile names."
-- Elbert Hubbard