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WI: Measure would oppose concealed arms
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Measure would oppose concealed arms
Racine resolution may be first to precede passage of law on carrying hidden weapons
By TOM KERTSCHER
tkertscher@journalsentinel.com
Last Updated: Aug. 28, 2003
Racine - Conceding they are on the defensive, opponents of a bill that would liberalize the carrying of concealed weapons launched a campaign Thursday that includes what might be a first-of-its-kind action by a city council.
Backers of the bill, meanwhile, said they are certain it will pass the Legislature and be presented to Gov. Jim Doyle in October. They also said support will grow as people learn how so-called concealed-carry laws have existed in 44 states without causing gun violence.
"None of the bogyman stories have come true," said Richard Baker, treasurer of the Greenfield-based Wisconsin Concealed Carry Association.
"At this point," he said, "it's kind of like having this huge debate over issuing people driver's licenses and having them go out on the road."
Racine Ald. Pete Karas, in announcing that the Racine Common Council is poised to approve his resolution opposing the so-called Personal Protection Act, agreed that the bill should easily pass the state Assembly and Senate. The first public hearing on the bill is set for Sept. 9 in Madison.
But Karas said he hopes the Racine resolution will spur other cities to take similar action and encourage citizens to express opposition to the bill. He said that will be important if the bill gets approved by the Legislature and vetoed by Doyle and then the Legislature tries to override the veto.
Doyle has said he is against concealed-carry legislation.
"A lot of times, these bills get passed under the radar screen," Karas said. "People don't understand exactly what they mean, and then once they're enacted and people realize what they actually do, then municipalities and concerned citizens take action. This is a situation where we'd like to head it off before it passes."
Local governments routinely send resolutions to the Legislature to express opinions on issues. And cities in states that allow residents to carry concealed weapons have moved to restrict the law after it took effect.
But spokesmen for two Washington-based gun-control organizations - the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence - said they knew of no U.S. city that had expressed formal opposition to concealed-carry legislation before it became law.
Racine 'ahead of the curve'
"This is the first time that I know of a city that got ahead of the curve," Khalid Pitts, state director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, said of the Racine resolution.
Under the Personal Protection Act, Wisconsin residents generally would be allowed - without need of a license - to carry concealed weapons in their homes and businesses.
In what is of much greater concern to opponents, the bill also would require county sheriffs to issue concealed-carry licenses to residents older than 21 who meet certain requirements. License holders could carry weapons almost anywhere that is not barred by the bill, such as taverns, schools and airports.
State Rep. Scott Gunderson (R-Norway), one of the bill's sponsors, acknowledged that polls have indicated opposition to concealed-carry laws among Wisconsin residents. But he said most people change their minds after learning that 44 states have similar laws and that Wisconsin would have strict requirements for getting a license.
"People shouldn't be afraid of law-abiding citizens," said Gunderson, who runs a Racine County store that sells firearms.
To obtain a concealed carry license in Wisconsin, applicants would have to pass a 22-hour weapons training course and a background check done by the county sheriff, Gunderson said.
The Racine resolution against the bill says a concealed-carry law is opposed by most Wisconsin residents, would endanger law enforcement officers and, in states where the law is in effect, is linked with more gun deaths.
Karas, a first-term alderman and leader of the Racine-Kenosha Green Party, said he would present the resolution Tuesday to the Racine Common Council. A vote likely will be taken Sept. 16, but eight of the 15 aldermen already have publicly supported the measure, he said.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/racine/aug03/165651.asp
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878<P>
Racine resolution may be first to precede passage of law on carrying hidden weapons
By TOM KERTSCHER
tkertscher@journalsentinel.com
Last Updated: Aug. 28, 2003
Racine - Conceding they are on the defensive, opponents of a bill that would liberalize the carrying of concealed weapons launched a campaign Thursday that includes what might be a first-of-its-kind action by a city council.
Backers of the bill, meanwhile, said they are certain it will pass the Legislature and be presented to Gov. Jim Doyle in October. They also said support will grow as people learn how so-called concealed-carry laws have existed in 44 states without causing gun violence.
"None of the bogyman stories have come true," said Richard Baker, treasurer of the Greenfield-based Wisconsin Concealed Carry Association.
"At this point," he said, "it's kind of like having this huge debate over issuing people driver's licenses and having them go out on the road."
Racine Ald. Pete Karas, in announcing that the Racine Common Council is poised to approve his resolution opposing the so-called Personal Protection Act, agreed that the bill should easily pass the state Assembly and Senate. The first public hearing on the bill is set for Sept. 9 in Madison.
But Karas said he hopes the Racine resolution will spur other cities to take similar action and encourage citizens to express opposition to the bill. He said that will be important if the bill gets approved by the Legislature and vetoed by Doyle and then the Legislature tries to override the veto.
Doyle has said he is against concealed-carry legislation.
"A lot of times, these bills get passed under the radar screen," Karas said. "People don't understand exactly what they mean, and then once they're enacted and people realize what they actually do, then municipalities and concerned citizens take action. This is a situation where we'd like to head it off before it passes."
Local governments routinely send resolutions to the Legislature to express opinions on issues. And cities in states that allow residents to carry concealed weapons have moved to restrict the law after it took effect.
But spokesmen for two Washington-based gun-control organizations - the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence - said they knew of no U.S. city that had expressed formal opposition to concealed-carry legislation before it became law.
Racine 'ahead of the curve'
"This is the first time that I know of a city that got ahead of the curve," Khalid Pitts, state director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, said of the Racine resolution.
Under the Personal Protection Act, Wisconsin residents generally would be allowed - without need of a license - to carry concealed weapons in their homes and businesses.
In what is of much greater concern to opponents, the bill also would require county sheriffs to issue concealed-carry licenses to residents older than 21 who meet certain requirements. License holders could carry weapons almost anywhere that is not barred by the bill, such as taverns, schools and airports.
State Rep. Scott Gunderson (R-Norway), one of the bill's sponsors, acknowledged that polls have indicated opposition to concealed-carry laws among Wisconsin residents. But he said most people change their minds after learning that 44 states have similar laws and that Wisconsin would have strict requirements for getting a license.
"People shouldn't be afraid of law-abiding citizens," said Gunderson, who runs a Racine County store that sells firearms.
To obtain a concealed carry license in Wisconsin, applicants would have to pass a 22-hour weapons training course and a background check done by the county sheriff, Gunderson said.
The Racine resolution against the bill says a concealed-carry law is opposed by most Wisconsin residents, would endanger law enforcement officers and, in states where the law is in effect, is linked with more gun deaths.
Karas, a first-term alderman and leader of the Racine-Kenosha Green Party, said he would present the resolution Tuesday to the Racine Common Council. A vote likely will be taken Sept. 16, but eight of the 15 aldermen already have publicly supported the measure, he said.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/racine/aug03/165651.asp
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878<P>
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redcedars
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And say there, that in obedience to her law, here we lie"