Free Republic

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) ― Gov. Chet Culver said Monday that he plans to sign into law a measure overhauling the way concealed weapons permits are issued. Currently, those seeking a permit to carry a concealed weapon must apply with their local sheriff, who has broad discretion on whether to grant the permit...

Gun enthusiasts said it would deter crime. Gun-control advocates said the measure would increase it, spawning needless deaths. But Minnesota's permit-to-carry handgun law appears to have done neither, according to an analysis of state crime statistics. Instead, it has accomplished something else entirely in the five years since it was enacted: It's kept clerks at sheriffs' offices hopping busy with paperwork. In anticipation of the five-year renewal deadline, the Dakota County sheriff's office added a second clerk to handle permit applications and background checks for residents who wish to carry their guns in public. But the rush hasn't been as...

Democratic hopefuls vary a bit on death penaltyBy David Mendell Chicago Tribune staff reporter February 20, 2004 This story contains corrected material, published Feb. 21, 2004. Leading Democrats seeking their party's nomination to the U.S. Senate generally agree that laws governing capital punishment, drugs and guns should be overhauled, although they differ about how that should be accomplished and the role of the federal government in that process. [...] All of the candidates endorsed stricter gun-control measures, but each said tougher enforcement of existing gun-control laws should be a priority over the introduction of new laws. Each candidate supported closing...

Many of you have seen my map: About a year ago, someone asked if he could put the map on the Concealed Carry page on Wikipedia. I said yes, and the image was added. Since then, there have been several attempts by Wikipedia admins to have it pulled. First, it was yanked because it hadn't been posted with the permission of the creator - despite my having not only granted permission, but having explicitly added to the image a statement that I had done so. The image was eventually restored, after I formally released the image under a Creative Commons...

Editorial Observer A couple of weeks ago, I checked into a hotel in Bloomington, a Minneapolis suburb framed by the airport and the Mall of America. On the hotel door was a sign: “Firearms Banned on These Premises.” The next day I drove to St. Joseph, an hour west of the Twin Cities, where I saw the same sign. Slowly the logical conclusion sank in. If firearms are banned on these premises, then they must not be banned in other places. Sure enough, a year ago the State Legislature passed a “concealed carry” law, which means that it’s legal to...

Could it be that more guns cause less crime? Could it be that criminals who suspect their potential victims are armed would be deterred from committing crimes? That's what John R. Lott Jr. argued in his 1998 book, "More Guns, Less Crime." But could it be that Lott is wrong; that other researchers have been unable to confirm his thesis? That's what Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner argued in their bestselling 2005 book, "Freakonomics." How should this debate be resolved? Lott's solution is to try to get the U.S. District Court in Chicago to issue an injunction blocking...

Assembly Fails To Override Concealed Carry Bill Veto State Has Banned Concealed Weapons For 133 Years UPDATED: 6:58 pm CST January 31, 2006 MADISON, Wis. -- The state Assembly failed to muster enough votes on Tuesday to override Gov. Jim Doyle's veto of the concealed carry bill. The 64-34 vote means Wisconsin residents still won't be able to legally carry hidden guns and knives. The Assembly would have needed 66 votes to override the veto. Two Democrats, state Reps. John Steinbrink and Terry Van Akkeren, changed their votes on the conceal carry issue -- both initially voted for the bill...

Concealed carry in gov's court GOP hopes for veto-proof edge By Todd Richmond Associated Press The state Senate approved a Republican bill that would let Wisconsin residents carry concealed weapons, setting up what could be a fierce political clash between the Legislature and Gov. Jim Doyle. The Senate's 28-5 vote Tuesday sends the bill to Doyle, a Democrat who already has vetoed one version of it and has vowed to veto this one. "The governor believes people carrying loaded weapons around will make Wisconsin less safe," Doyle spokeswoman Melanie Fonder said. But Republicans say people should be allowed to fight...

Allowing concealed guns a bad idea By ADAM A. MEYERS Racine, Wis. I am a police officer with the Racine Police Department and a part-time police officer for another community in Racine County. This is strictly my opinion and I am not speaking on behalf of the communities or law enforcement agencies that employ me. The Wisconsin law against carrying a concealed firearm has worked effectively for over 130 years. Deciding to pass a concealed carry law in Wisconsin that will allow almost every adult to carry a concealed firearm is a potentially dangerous decision. Carrying a concealed firearm and...

Committee Votes Down Amendments To Concealed Carry Bill MADISON, Wis. -- An Assembly committee narrowly defeated Tuesday amendments to a bill that would allow Wisconsin residents to carry concealed weapons, including one outlawing guns in day care centers. The Republican-led Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Homeland Security voted 7-5 along party lines to approve the overall bill, sending it to the full Assembly for debate Thursday. The measure would allow Wisconsin residents who pass firearms training to obtain permits to carry concealed handguns and other weapons in most public places. The committee voted down a series of amendments to...

Concealed Weapons Debate Brewing At Capitol POSTED: 11:29 am CDT October 28, 2005 UPDATED: 11:47 am CDT October 28, 2005 MADISON, Wis. -- A shootout over concealed guns is brewing at the state Capitol. News 3’s Prema Chandrathil reported on why there's an argument over keeping the names secret of those who get concealed carry permits. News 3 reported capitol insiders say the concealed carry bill will likely be passed, and could have enough votes to override a promised veto by Gov. Jim Doyle. The bill keeps permit holders secret, but the Wisconsin Freedom of Information Council says the public...

Mac Mouths Off Conceal carry laws should not include privacy provisions By Susan MacLaughlin When my step-dad died last spring, my family began a long process of clearing out his personal possessions. Some we gave to charity, and others, including family heirlooms, were dispersed among his children, siblings and nieces and nephews. As we culled through his closet, I was shocked to learn that my family owned a gun. I deserve the right to at least know they have that power. What floored me was when my mom nonchalantly asked me to take the gun out to my uncle's truck....

Another concealed carry bill set to be unveiled today By Tom Sheehan MADISON - The state Department of Justice would handle background checks and issue most gun permits under a concealed carry bill to be announced at a Capitol press conference today, said state Sen. Dave Zien, R-Eau Claire. Those provisions are among the most significant changes made from last session's concealed carry bill, which called for sheriffs to issue permits, Zien said. Supporters hope this bill has a better chance of becoming law than in 2003, when Republicans fell just one vote shy of overriding Gov. Jim Doyle's veto...

Concealed carry is another chapter in legislative nonsense By Joseph Geck Posted: Sept. 26, 2005 I do not own a handgun, but both of my sons do. They have invited me to target practice, and I want to join them. I would like to go hunting. It's on the list of things I'd like to do before I die. I dislike the gun control debate in this country because both sides are very irrational and use data that is flawed. We are now debating a concealed-carry law in Wisconsin. I know the Legislature needs a break from its grueling work,...

Editorial: State's gun law is in trouble, again September 14, 2005 Twice the Minnesota Legislature has passed, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty has signed, laws requiring that law-abiding, safety-trained adult Minnesotans be licensed to carry concealed weapons if they choose. Twice, advocates of this law have overreached in trying to force the law's power where it doesn't belong. Twice, they've lost in court. [...] This is an unnecessary fight; when the law was being reintroduced this year, its proponents were asked to give churches the power to ban guns from all their lands and buildings, and the flexibility they sought in...

Concealed carry bill is based on myths JOHN SEE State Sen. Dave Zien is introducing another concealed weapons bill, the purpose of which is to encourage people to carry loaded handguns in public places. Zien, an Eau Claire Republican, claims this will save lives by scaring off criminals. But in fact, it might do just the opposite. Anything that increases gun ownership has risks. If you love your kids, you'd better listen up. A recent study at Harvard University found that among children between the ages of 5 and 14, the percentage of gun deaths from homicide, suicide or accident...

Judge sides with churches on conceal-carry law Minnesota churches deserve an exemption from a state law requiring them to either post a sign or verbally inform people that concealed handguns aren't allowed on their property, a judge has ruled. Hennepin County District Judge LaJune Thomas Lange granted two Twin Cities churches a temporary injunction Friday, the first legal blow to a 2005 law that was passed after an earlier version stumbled in the courts. "The 2005 Act impermissibly intrudes into the free exercise of religion by arbitrary definitions, which dictate restrictions on the use of church property for worship, childcare,...

Editorial: It's baaack. Make it go away From the Journal Sentinel Posted: Sept. 7, 2005 Last time around, the state Senate showed appalling disregard for public safety and the Assembly only slightly less so. This time, with Milwaukee's homicide rate approaching a record pace, we're hoping some modicum of propriety, leadership and common sense takes hold. The issue is a renewed effort to enact a law allowing Wisconsinites to carry concealed weapons. This is a bill that should simply go away. More than 80% of Milwaukee's killings this year were the result of gunfire. So, more guns - what a...

Catching up on Minnesota gun permits Conrad Defiebre, Star Tribune June 26, 2005 Hundreds of prospective gun-toters have lined up at sheriff's offices around Minnesota in a new rush for handgun permits since they became widely available again one month ago. According to a state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension database, 932 permit applications have been filed since the state's 2003 handgun law, suspended for nearly a year by court rulings, went back on the books May 25. [...] "We're seeing a little surge now," said Dakota County sheriff's Capt. Jeff Schwartz. "It was starting to wind down before." Dakota County...

Pawlenty Signs Conceal-Carry Bill into Law Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Tuesday signed a bill that allows easier statewide access to handgun permits. The law, which restores an identical 2003 measure that was struck down by the courts, takes effect immediately. The so-called conceal-carry law allows law-abiding people over the age of 21, to get a gun permit as long as they have a clean record, no mental illness and proper safety training. Several state courts struck down the 2003 law, citing the unusual procedure by which it was passed in the Legislature. Lawmakers moved quickly this year to re-pass it...