Boots & Sabers

The blogging will continue until morale improves...

M
Tag: Concealed Carry

Choice and freedom spreading

by | 0849, 12 Mar 2424 | , , | 0 Comments

My column for the Washington County News is online and in print. Here’s a taste:

 

One of our nation’s structural supports that has provided the stability to make us the world’s oldest republic is our federalist structure. In a very geographically large and demographically diverse nation, the ability for each of the 50 states to shape public policy in accordance with the peculiarities of its citizenry is a strength — not a weakness.

 

Our federalist structure also permits each state to experiment with various policies and let other states see the effects. In recent years, we have seen states decriminalize drug use and soften police enforcement to disastrous effect. We should be thankful that such policies are tried on a state level and not implemented on all of us.

 

While we are increasingly losing our grip on federalism as power and authority concentrates in far away Washington, D.C., each of our United States continues to experiment with different policies. It is worth taking note of policies that are taking hold and becoming widespread. Two such policies are sweeping the nation and Wisconsin is not participating. Last week, Alabama became the twelfth state to pass universal school choice and six other states are considering it this year. Some 28 states and the District of Columbia already have some form of school choice according to Education Week. School choice was an innovation born in Milwaukee by a coalition of liberals and conservatives who wanted to give poor families a chance to get their kids into better schools — even if that better school was a private school. For several years, various income-based school choice programs spread throughout the nation before stalling under the withering assault of entrenched government school interests. The pandemic changed everything. Being affronted with the reality of just how bad our government schools had become, parents insisted on a better option and breathed new life into the school choice movement. While school choice comes in many forms, the common feature is that parents are provided some or all of the funding that would have been spent for their child in a government school to be spent on alternative educational options. The goal is to couple the funding to the child and not to the bureaucracy.

 

School choice has become a potent political force in states like Texas. Despite being dominated by Republicans, school choice failed to pass the Legislature last year when a cohort of House Republicans joined the Democrats to vote against it. In the primary election last week, six Republican incumbents were ousted outright and four more are headed for runoff elections — all on the power of the school choice issue. It is an issue that transcends party and motivates parents.

 

Despite being the birthplace of school choice, Wisconsin has lost its place in the vanguard of education reform.

 

Another movement that started in the mid-1990s was to reinstate Americans’ civil rights by allowing citizens to carry a concealed weapon. For 20 years, states steadily implemented concealed carry laws to allow qualified citizens to carry concealed. Wisconsin was a laggard in this regard as the 49th state to allow concealed carry. Illinois reluctantly followed suit many years later to make concealed carry in some form a universal American policy.

 

In the past ten years, many states have gone further to allow constitutional or permitless carry whereby virtually anyone who is legally allowed to possess a handgun may carry it concealed without a permit. According to the United States Concealed Carry Association, 29 states currently have permitless carry.

 

Here again, the pandemic, coupled with the riots of 2020-2022, sparked new urgency with this issue. Recognizing that law enforcement is largely unable, and sometimes unwilling, to prevent people from committing crimes or protecting innocents, Americans began taking personal responsibility for their physical safety. Women and people of color are two of the fastest-growing groups of gun owners.

 

There is no definitive source to know how many guns there are in private hands and who owns them. That is as it should be. A Pew Research study from last year estimates that there are about 222 million private guns owned by about 105 million Americans. Guns are, and always have been, part of our culture and our right to keep and bear arms was protected at the founding. While our nation has always done a decent job protecting our civil right to “keep” arms, states are now doing a better job of protecting our civil right to “bear” arms. What good is a right if you have to ask the government to exercise it?

Wisconsin Republicans Introduce Constitutional Carry

by | 0943, 7 Oct 2121 | , | 0 Comments

It won’t go anywhere as long as Evers sits in his chair, but dare to dream…

MADISON (WKOW) — Two Republican lawmakers from Wisconsin unveiled a Constitutional Carry bill.

 

The bill from Senator Mary Felzkowski (R-Irma) and Representative Robert Brooks (R-Saukville) would allow people to carry a concealed weapon without a license. Right now, a license is required to carry a concealed weapon in Wisconsin.

The bill’s authors say 21 states already allow Constitutional Carry.

Congressman Attempts to Carry Firearm on House Floor

by | 0918, 23 Jan 2121 | , | 4 Comments

Given how the Capitol Police failed to keep the building secure from a few hundred weirdos, can you blame him?

Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., set off the metal detector while trying to enter the chamber Thursday afternoon. The metal detectors were installed after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, which left five people dead, including a Capitol police officer. The incident was witnessed by a reporter from the HuffPost website.

After setting off the machine, Harris was asked to step aside for further screening. At that time, an officer discovered Harris was carrying a concealed gun on his side, according to the reporter.

 

The officer sent Harris away, at which point Harris tried to get Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., to take the gun from him. Katko refused, telling Harris he didn’t have a license to carry a gun. Harris eventually left and returned less than 10 minutes later. He once again went through security and did not set off the magnetometer. He was then allowed to enter the House floor.

 

Harris, in his sixth term representing Maryland’s Eastern Shore, issued a statement through his chief of staff, Bryan Shuy.

 

“Because his and his family’s lives have been threatened by someone who has been released awaiting trial, for security reasons, the congressman never confirms whether he nor anyone else he’s with are carrying a firearm for self-defense,” the statement said. “As a matter of public record, he has a Maryland Handgun Permit. And the congressman always complies with the House metal detectors and wanding. The Congressman has never carried a firearm on the House floor.”

I think there is a wide gulf in America about the seriousness of this kind of infraction. For me, I’ve carried a gun living in two states and traveling all over the country for the better part of 25 years. My weapon is a serious tool, but as much a part of my personal accessory kit as my keys, pocket knife, and Carmex. Seeing someone else with a gun strikes neither fear nor worry in my heart. It just is.

For others, seeing or hearing of someone with a gun is a troubling thing. They assume evil intent even if there is no justification for it. They project their own fears into another person and see it reflected back at themselves. I’m not discounting it. I understand it. Which is why I take care to ensure that my weapon is concealed so that it does not create unnecessary disquiet in others.

So for me, this is a “whatever” story. For others, it’s a big deal.

Wisconsin AG Might Revoke Some Concealed Carry Licenses

by | 0822, 29 Apr 1919 | , , | 2 Comments

Here is an interesting case.

MADISON – Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul could revoke a small number of concealed weapons licenses because of a recent state Supreme Court decision regarding those who have had their criminal records expunged.

The Department of Justice that Kaul oversees has been issuing concealed weapons licenses for years to people who have had their records expunged of felony and misdemeanor convictions.

But the Supreme Court in an unrelated case in December ruled that expunging a record “does not invalidate the conviction.” In light of that, Kaul has determined he cannot issue weapons licenses to those who have expunged records.

He alerted lawmakers to the issue in March and sent a follow-up letter Friday asking them to take up legislation to address it. If they do not, he wrote that he would have to review individual licenses to determine which ones should be revoked.

“Without legislative action, concealed carry licenses must be revoked from individuals with an expunged felony conviction,” he wrote in Friday’s letter.

As the law goes, I think that Kaul is right. By the letter of the law, those licenses would need to be revoked. But then, what does “expunge” really mean? Is the conviction gone or not? Then again, why do we even have a process of expungement? The crime happened… you can’t erase reality, in which case, do we ever want people who commit felonies from getting a concealed carry license? Or should this right be treated like other rights? In Wisconsin, felons can vote after they complete their punishment. Should their right to carry concealed be restored? Tricky questions.

Perhaps we should get rid of expungement and go to Constitutional Carry and let reality prevail.

Woman Kills Attacker

by | 2108, 9 Jan 1919 | , | 1 Comment

I’m glad that she was able to defend herself.

The 25-year-old victim was standing at a bus stop in the Fernwood neighborhood about 5:44 a.m. when she was confronted by the would-be robber, police said.

“The victim was standing at the corner when the offender approached the victim, displayed a weapon and announced a robbery,” Chicago police officials said in a statement. “The victim, a concealed carry license holder, brandished a weapon and fired one shot at the offender, striking him in the neck.”

The incident was captured on surveillance video from a drug store in the area and showed the victim, whose name has not been released, getting pushed to the ground at the bus stop before pulling a gun and firing it.

The suspected attempted robber, wearing white, ran from the scene while the victim ran in the opposite direction, the video shows.

Police said the suspected robber collapsed about a block from the bus stop, where officers found him. He was taken to Christ Hospital in Chicago, where he was pronounced dead.

Bystander Stops Violent Criminal from Fleeing

by | 0813, 25 May 1818 | | 1 Comment

A happy ending to a horrible crime.

An armed passerby has shot dead a gunman who opened fire on a packed Oklahoma restaurant in a terrifying shooting which left a woman and two children injured.

The shooter, a white male who was wearing eye glasses and ear protection at the time, was confronted by a person standing outside the restaurant as he tried to flee, and shot dead.

He was the only person killed in the shooting, which left four in hospital, and Police Captain Bo Matthews told reporters the armed civilian was ‘a blessing’.

Along with the victims, I always find myself sympathizing with the bystander in stories like this. It is no small thing to shoot someone – no matter how necessary it is – and it will have lifetime consequences for the bystander.

Would-be Victim Kills Carjacker

by | 0911, 27 Feb 1818 | | 9 Comments

More of this will help decrease the number of car jackings in Milwaukee.

A 21-year-old would-be carjacker was shot and killed by his intended victim early Monday, Milwaukee officials said.

The man, whose name has not been released, was armed with a gun and trying to carjack a 24-year-old man who was heading into work shortly before 6 a.m. Monday, Milwaukee Police Capt. Andra Williams said.

The 24-year-old had a valid concealed carry license and fatally shot the man, said Ald. Cavalier Johnson, who called a news conference late Monday about the shooting.

The incident occurred outside a business in the 8800 block of W. Fond du Lac Ave. and was the first reported fatal shooting in Johnson’s northwest side district this year.

The shooter, who lives outside the city, stayed at the scene, gave a voluntary statement and is cooperating with the investigation, Williams said.

Police believe a second car may have been involved with the attempted carjacking and are searching for a green Chrysler Pacifica, Williams said.

I always feel bad for the shooter in incidents like these. This guy was just heading to work early on a Monday and now his life is forever altered because he was forced to take a life in self defense (allegedly). As someone who carries a weapon for self-defense all the time, I pray that I am never forced to do what this young man had to do.

Appeals Court Strikes Down D.C. Concealed Carry Law

by | 2233, 26 Jul 1717 | , | 0 Comments

Excellent!

A federal appeals court struck down a District of Columbia law Tuesday that required a “good reason” to carry a concealed firearm, ruling that it essentially bans the Second Amendment right for most D.C. residents.

The decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit conflicts with rulings from other appeals courts on concealed-carry rights, potentially ripening the issue for a Supreme Court that for years has stayed on the sidelines of gun control laws.

The D.C. Circuit, in a 2-1 decision, ruled the Second Amendment’s right of responsible citizens to carry firearms for personal self-defense beyond the home is not subject to bans on carrying in urban areas like the District or carrying absent a special need for self-defense.

“In fact, the Amendment’s core at a minimum shields the typically situated citizen’s ability to carry common arms generally,” the majority wrote. “The District’s good-reason law is necessarily a total ban on exercises of that constitutional right for most D.C. residents.”

NRA Moves Heavy Into Insurance

by | 1637, 28 May 1717 | , | 0 Comments

This has huge implications for West Bend’s own Delta Defense, which has been selling insurance to concealed carry holders for years and just built a new headquarters.

Enter the National Rifle Association. Stories like Balistreri’s have motivated some gun owners to purchase insurance policies that could cushion their financial burden in the event that they shoot someone. Such policies have been available for years, but last month the NRA announced a new insurance product, Carry Guard, which they marketed to their millions of members online and at their annual meeting in Atlanta. The idea of firearms liability insurance has been previously championed by gun safety advocates on the left, who envisioned insurance as an instrument of public safety that could encourage safer guns and safer behavior. As implemented by the NRA, though, firearms liability insurance has a different function—to insulate gun owners from the expense and other possible consequences of a shooting.

“We live in a litigious society,” explains Josh Powell, chief of staff and executive director of general operations for the NRA. “The bad guys come to your house and you gotta use your gun and then you end up paying a hundred thousand dollars to protect yourself.”

Powell explains that Carry Guard was created to accommodate the needs of a changing culture in the U.S., where more people carry concealed weapons. “There’s just been this incredible carry revolution that’s taken place over the past eight years, and you know, the NRA started it. We started this in Florida 35 or 36 years ago, passing the first concealed carry bill. And so this is really a response to that movement and our members saying ‘Hey, we need you guys to be the gold standard for training, liability insurance— everything concealed carry.’”

With similar language, the marketing campaign for Carry Guard emphasizes the “two pronged program” that offers “America’s most comprehensive coverage and training for those who carry a gun.” The campaign features a studio portrait of NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch, staring down the camera with glinting eyes, holding up her Carry Guard insurance card like an officer flashing a badge. “I will never carry a gun without carrying this,” the adjacent text proclaims. In an article for the NRA publication America’s First Freedom, Loesch recounts her memories raising young children in crime-ridden St. Louis. She says her neighbors were grateful that she always carried a gun while supervising the children outside, and often inquired about how they could also legally carry and join her in “standing watch” over the neighborhood. “If only NRA Carry Guard existed back then,” Loesch laments. “There was no one-stop training option I could recommend.” Moreover, “Without proper coverage, my neighbors risked very real financial and legal consequences if they were ever forced to the pull the trigger in self-defense, even if they did everything right.”

Guns Allowed on Madison Buses

by | 2103, 7 Mar 1717 | , | 0 Comments

Excellent ruling. Hats off to Wisconsin Carry for seeing this through.

After the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Madison can’t prohibit passengers from carrying guns on Metro buses, Mayor Paul Soglin said he plans to appeal to the state legislature to change the law.

The 5-2 decision overturned an Appeals Court ruling and said that local government cannot enforce rules that contradict Wisconsin’s concealed-carry law.

Soglin said he plans to ask the Legislature to amend an existing statute to allow the city to prohibit firearms on public buses, just as it can ban weapons from city buildings.

“We see no reason why it should not be permissible under the Constitution for us to do something incredibly reasonable,” Soglin said.

Simple, Mayor. The government should not prohibit people from exercising their natural rights without a reasonable cause. The fact that the mayor is an anti-2nd Amendment zealot is not a reasonable cause.

Man Protects Self with Gun

by | 0845, 29 Dec 1616 | | 1 Comment

I’m glad this guy is safe. Thank goodness he was equipped to defend himself against these two violent thugs.

A man walking his dog Tuesday night near his home shot two people who tried to rob him, killing one and wounding the other.

Deonte M. Thomas, 17, of Milwaukee was shot to death and his 18-year-old companion was wounded, police said. The 36-year-old man had a concealed-carry permit.
[…]

Milwaukee Police Sgt. Timothy Gauerke said the two suspects may be responsible for an armed robbery about 8:55 p.m. Tuesday, about an hour before the incident on W. Euclid, in the 2200 block of E. Park Place.

Thomas was arrested as a juvenile for criminal trespassing and armed robbery in 2014 while the 18-year-old man, whose name was not released, was arrested in 2014 for auto theft. The 18-year-old man is facing charges of party to the crime of armed robbery and homicide in connection with the incident on W. Euclid Ave.

Man Saved By Ready Access to Firearm

by | 1101, 10 Sep 1616 | , | 0 Comments

It’s good to see an attempted crime end in this fashion.

Some Granite City residents are still in shock after police say a man sitting in his car in the 2500 block of Revere’s Route Early Friday morning was approached by an armed robber.

The victim was dropping off a friend after work when the suspect attempted to rob him. He was able to defend himself by firing his concealed weapon at the robber. Detectives say the victim’s action saved his life.

The suspect was stopped in his tracks. The suspect is now hospitalized.

Officials haven’t said what charges the suspect may be facing. The conceal carry permit holder is not currently facing charges.

Hartford Library Allows Concealed Carry

by | 0641, 26 Aug 1616 | , | 0 Comments

Good!

In a policy reversal, individuals with concealed carry permits are now allowed to carry weapons inside Hartford’s Jack Russell Memorial Library. At the Library Board’s July meeting, a motion to reverse the policy of banning weapons in the building was approved by a 3-2 vote.

Library director Jennifer Einwalter referred all questions on the change to Library Board President Shari Purman. Purman, who voted in favor of lifting the ban, said the Board reached the decision after a thorough discussion.

“It’s an emotional issue,” Purman said. “The concern was about allowing individuals to exercise their right to bear arms. The only governmental building in the city, other than schools, to ban concealed carry is the police department, though there are some limited restrictions at the Rec Center.”

Purman said it’s unfair for people who can legally carry to not be allowed to have their weapon in the library.

“We can’t afford metal detectors,” Purman said. “So how do we know that people without permits aren’t bringing weapons into the library now while people who were granted a permit after a long process were not allowed to carry in the library? We’ll revisit it in six months.”

Mayor Tim Michalak, who was not at the meeting, said Thursday he’s long supported concealed carry.

The West Bend Library allowed it some time ago without any issues – just like virtually everywhere else in the state that allows it.

Government at Work

by | 0927, 9 Aug 1616 | , | 0 Comments

I often highlight government programs and policies that are poorly done, but this is not one of those rants. Sometimes, government gets it right and we need to point it out.

A few weeks ago, I got a letter from the Wisconsin Department of Justice with instructions on how to renew my concealed carry permit. I was one of the first 4,000 people in Wisconsin to get a permit when the law went into effect five years ago, so I am also one of the first to renew.

The process was easy and efficient. I went online to https://concealedcarry.doj.wi.gov, entered in my pertinent information, answered the questions, read the requirements, and paid the $22 with a credit card. The entire process took less than 10 minutes and I did it from the comfort of my home. Now the DOJ has 21 days to run a background check on me and then send me my new permit. In the meantime, I printed my confirmation number in case I need it, but it is unnecessary since my current permit won’t expire for a couple of months. But at least there is a measure to address people who wait until the last day to renew to make sure they can continue to exercise their right until the new permit arrives.

Hats off to Attorney General Brad Schimel and the DOJ for making it easy and convenient to renew concealed carry permits and exercise our rights. Of course, I would prefer Constitutional Carry where such a process is unnecessary, but that’s not the AG’s call.

DOJ Launches Website for CCW

by | 1431, 1 Jul 1616 | , | 0 Comments

Excellent!

Wisconsin’s Department of Justice has launched a new website for residents to apply for and renew concealed carry weapon licenses.

In a statement, Attorney General Brad Schimel says hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites hold concealed carry licenses, “making our state a safer place to live, work and raise a family.”

He says the website, concealedcarry.doj.wi.gov, will offer a convenient, streamlined process for applications and renewals.

I was wondering what the renewal process was going to be like. Mine expires in early November. I wonder if people keep the same number.

Wisconsin Issues 300,000th CCW License

by | 1655, 31 Mar 1616 | , , | 0 Comments

And still no “Wild West”… hmmmmm…

Wisconsin’s concealed carry program passed a major milestone earlier this month – issuing permit number 300,000 since the program began in 2011.

The state Department of Justice announced that the permit was issued on March 24, following a period of heavy activity that kicked off the year. The agency said applications have been coming in this year at “record high levels” and that “interest in firearm ownership shows no signs of subsiding.”

Login | Register

Archives

Categories

Pin It on Pinterest