"Posted January 2, 2006
Lawmakers give the gift of more guns
Happy new year! Have a gun!
That's the Wisconsin Legislature's gift to citizens of this state. Members hope this will be the year they can ram through a bill that would allow residents to carry hidden pistols, stun guns and other weapons.
Gov. Jim Doyle has said he will veto the bill, as he did the last attempt to pass this reckless and dangerous law. This time, though, the Republican majority says it has lured enough Democrats with last-minute amendments that they can override a veto.
Heaven help us.
Here are a couple of things they added to make the bill more palatable:
u The allowable blood-alcohol concentration for those carrying a concealed weapon was lowered from 0.08 percent to 0.02 percent. At some point, lawmakers felt it appropriate for folks to carry loaded pistols up to the level of drunkenness that prohibited them from driving. Now, you only can be a little bit drunk and still pack heat.
u Permit holders now will have to take "refresher" training every five years. That's more comforting than the notion of turning them loose with no additional education whatsoever after initial applications, but not much. We've seen the drivers that the state deems acceptable for licensing, and we're not encouraged.
u It now will be a felony instead of a misdemeanor to lie when filling out the application claiming to be honest and trustworthy enough to be given a gun so that you can protect yourself from criminals. Enough said.
u The new bills create a 100-foot safety zone around school property into which guns can't be carried. Lawmakers presumably haven't been told that bullets travel well over 100 feet.
These changes and other goofy language in the bill make it abundantly clear that it shouldn't be signed into law.
Most troubling is the assumption inherent in the restrictions contained in the bill.
The proposal says the Department of Justice MUST issue permits to those who meet the state's qualifications -- essentially everyone who completes training, isn't habitually drunk or doped up, isn't a convicted felon and hasn't been in trouble for three years. Presumably, those folks are trustworthy. They will have demonstrated proficiency with a weapon, emotional maturity and sound decision-making skills. Why, then, does the bill then go on to list all the placed permit-holders can't carry their guns?
Schools and taverns and police stations and restaurants and kindergartens and government buildings and jails and airports (well, just past the security checkpoints; up to there they're OK) all are on the prohibited list.
So here's the question: If permit-holders are safe and reliable enough to be handed permits, why aren't they safe everywhere? Why can they not go into the federal courthouse in Madison, but they can wander into the Wausau Center mall or through the heart of downtown? And why won't a list of permit-holders be public record, so that journalists can double-check on backgrounds?
It's obvious that lawmakers aren't sure. They hope licensees will be trustworthy, but they're not willing to bet the lives of schoolchildren or cops on it. They're not willing to bet that one of these fine and upstanding citizens won't have one too many at the local watering hole and open fire. And they darn sure don't want pesky reporters poking around and finding mistakes.
Bottom line: They're not willing to bet their own lives on the background checks and safety courses, but they're willing to bet yours.
And one final point: If the state makes a mistake and grants a permit to a goon or felon who should have been denied -- a goon or felon who then shoots you or a loved one -- the state has granted itself immunity from liability for the error.
Oops. You lose"
Don't ya just love em...
