This is a pure he said – he said that has all of the hallmarks of a set up. Notice that the anti-gun folks went to the media instead of the police.

Madison— Gun control advocates say a state lawmaker with a concealed weapon permit showed them his pistol during a visit to his Capitol office Wednesday, a claim that the lawmaker denies.

Rep. Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh) is one of the Legislature’s staunchest opponents of gun control, unsuccessfully sponsoring a controversial measure last session to make it a crime for state and local police to enforce new federal gun laws.

Schraa, who says he consistently carries his 9mm with him, also signed on as one of three dozen co-sponsors of successful legislation this year that ended the 48-hour waiting period on handgun purchases in the state.

Both sides agree that Schraa had a civil discussion about gun control Wednesday with two retirees active in the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, but that’s where the agreement ends.

Jeri Bonavia, executive director of WAVE, said that two volunteers for her group from the Milwaukee area told her that Schraa had taken out his wallet and concealed carry permit from his left pants pocket and a small holstered pistol from his right pants pocket, with the retirees describing the holster as black. He showed the gun and permit while making a point about his support for gun rights, she said.

Bonavia said that after learning of the incident, she went twice to Schraa’s Capitol office after tracking it down, first by herself and then with the two volunteers. She said the lawmaker confirmed that he was carrying a concealed handgun in his right pants pocket by patting it multiple times but denied having displayed it.

“They were really shaken up more because they were accused of lying. They were really upset,” Bonavia said. “They were pointing at his pocket and saying, ‘Yes, you did, it’s right there.'”

Schraa said that was absolutely not true and questioned whether he was being “set up.”