How to get the word out?...
Posted on 08/11/2005 8:53:24 AM PDT by neverdem
TOWN OF BARRE, Wis. —Onalaska's police chief tried Wednesday to head off another anticipated attempt to allow Wisconsin residents to carry concealed weapons.
A survey of the Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association showed two-thirds opposed any form of concealed carry in the state, said Randy Williams, who heads the association.
Gun rights supporters are expected to bring a personal protection bill back before the legislature, after an earlier measure fell only one vote short of overriding Gov. Jim Doyle's veto in January 2004.
State Sen. Dave Zien, R-Eau Claire, said he hopes to have a new concealed carry bill drafted in the next few weeks.
This bill, Zien said, will not include many of the restrictions attached to the one that did not survive Doyle's veto.
Ryan Kulik, program director with the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, which organized Wednesday's gathering at the Barre Town Hall, called the concealed carry legislation "a bad idea" that will not make the state more safe.
Data indicates states that added concealed carry policies did not seen crime go down, Kulik said. A new Gallup poll also showed 65 percent of the people surveyed nationwide would feel less safe if concealed firearms were allowed.
But Joe Waldron, head of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, disagreed with the findings, and faulted the chiefs' argument.
"What we're hearing now is the same tired rhetoric that has been used to poison the concealed carry debate for years," Waldron said. "Hysterical predictions about gunfights in taverns and at traffic stops have been debunked repeatedly, and so has the paranoia about the mythical increased threat armed citizens pose to law enforcement."
Waldron said the chiefs have to explain why Wisconsin residents are less trustworthy with licensed, concealed handguns than those in the 46 states that allow concealed weapons.
As the debate heats up, Williams said, police chiefs are more united against the proposal than ever before.
A new survey of WPCA members shows only 1 percent of the chiefs favor any type of concealed carry legislation, and 90 percent said they oppose any legislation that is similar or less restrictive than last year's bill.
State Rep. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, who spoke out strongly against the concealed carry bill last year, said allowing concealed weapons would be a "slippery slope" and send the state down "a dangerous path."
Shilling said more guns would not improve safety, especially for law enforcement officers who won't know if someone might have a gun.
Dan Springer can be reached at (608) 791-8269 or dspringer@lacrossetribune.com.
I live in Ohio and am required to identify myself as a CCW and if I am or am not armed at the time.
Like you, I've never had one hint of trouble or concern from an officer. As you say, we are law abiding and pose no threat.
(We use 43 muscles to frown, 17 to smile, and 2 to pull a trigger. I'm lazy and I'm tired of smiling.)
Possibly the best tagline I've ever read... ;)
Glad you like it, FRiend. :)
How to get the word out?...
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