Senator Tom Brewer
43rd District
4-12-2019

Last weekend, I hosted a concealed carry class at my daughter’s property in Cass County. A half-dozen senators and staff were some of those who participated in the classroom instruction and the live-fire training on the pistol range.

Our federal and state constitutions recognize the 2nd Amendment as an essential right, and very few people around the world have the opportunity to enjoy it. This right is therefore a part of our identity as Americans and Nebraskans. It is an important piece of being a self-reliant people. The training this past weekend again reminded me that we shouldn’t look to government to solve every problem we have. The right to keep and bear arms reminds us that we play a role in protecting our own liberty. Our inherent right to self-defense says we don’t have to wait for the government to do it for us. When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

Self-reliance is a character quality that has to do with a lot more than just guns. It is self-reliance that causes us to work hard for the food we put on the family table, and everything else we hope to earn in life. A self-reliant person’s first thought is not whether or not the government can give him something. A self-reliant person does not also think his neighbors owe him a hand-out. Instead, he works to cooperate with his neighbors to everyone’s benefit.

This is what my priority bill, LB 155, is all about. If a land-owner is going to develop an industrial wind energy facility on their property, the business plan shouldn’t include using the power of government to take from his neighbor to make the plan work. The current law makes it very difficult for that neighbor to defend his property rights. LB 155 provides them a fighting chance in court.

I am proud to represent a district where my constituents embody the virtue of self-reliance every day. I want the law to be on the side of the hard workers. I want the law to be on the side of the person making decisions for the family farm or ranch. I don’t think the law should encourage people to take from their neighbors as it does now.

When we first debated LB 155 in the legislature this year, the first vote fell short by two votes. I pledged that I was going to bring back LB 155. With Sen. Rob Clements’ help, that promise will be kept. Next week LB 155 will be on the agenda for debate again.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, mail a letter to Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1423, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, or call us at (402) 471-2628.