Monkeyleg
Member.
I got a copy of this email, which was sent out by a group called the Wisconsin Anti Violence Effort. They've been a big thorn in our side on the concealed carry issue. I deleted all the email addresses that it had been forwarded to, even though they represent the prime movers of the liberal community. I did, however, leave the email addy of the WAVE director at the end. If you must contact him, be nice. 
Interestingly, the WAVE Educational Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Hmmm.....
**********
Dear Friends:
Bills to legalize the carrying of concealed weapons
(CCW) in Wisconsin have been introduced, and there is a good chance they
will pass unless we take action immediately. Wisconsin is one of the 16
states that sensibly prohibit or restrict carrying hidden, loaded guns in
public places. Assembly Bill 444 and Senate Bill 214 will turn back the
clock on gun violence prevention and allow nearly anyone to carry concealed
weapons nearly anywhere.
Please help defeat this dangerous and irresponsible
legislation. Here's what you can do:
1. Call and write your State Senator and State
Representative and ask them to vote against AB444/SB214. To find out who
your state legislators are, call the toll free hotline at 1-800-362-9472.
You can also contact your legislators directly through the web site,
www.legis.state.wi.us <http://www.legis.state.wi.us>.
2. Attend the public hearing on the CCW bills and
register and testify in opposition. The joint Senate-Assembly committee
hearing will be held on Tuesday, September 9, 10:00 a.m. in Madison, State
Capitol Room 411 South. It is important that the room be filled with as many
people as possible to show strong support for keeping Wisconsin's law
against concealed weapons. Bring others along to the hearing. Arrive as
early as possible to get a seat in the hearing room.
3. Write letters to your local newspaper expressing
your concerns about legalizing concealed weapons, urging your state elected
officials to vote against AB444/SB214, and urging Governor Jim Doyle to veto
the bill if it passes in the legislature.
Again, we need to act NOW to keep our state free of
legalized concealed weapons. It's time to take a stand for common sense and
make sure the gun lobby does not prevail over the vast majority of
Wisconsinites who support the current law.
Many groups have joined with Wisconsin Anti-Violence
Effort and made defeating the CCW bills a top priority. Organizations
including the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families and the Wisconsin
Chiefs of Police Association are coming out against the bill.
WAVE and the other coalition members thank you in
advance for doing anything you can to help out. Please let us know what
action you have taken. Copies of published letters to the editor and updates
on legislators' responses would be very useful. Reply via email or call
(414) 351-9283 if you would like more information for your calls or letters
or if you are planning to attend the hearing on September 9. Some of the
major points against legalizing concealed weapons are listed below.
There's just no need to legalize concealed weapons.
Wisconsin's law against carrying concealed guns in public places has served
us well for more than 130 years. Compared to states that have passed "shall
issue" concealed carry laws, our state remains a relatively safe place to
live. By many measures, crime rates are dropping in Wisconsin even as the
Midwest as a whole experiences an increase in crime. Even in states with
"shall issue" concealed carry permits readily available, only one or two out
of every one hundred adults carries hidden guns. There's no justification
for the state to sanction an unsafe practice that 98% of adults know will
likely do far more harm than good. Despite the gun lobby's rhetoric,
concealed guns are generally a terrible self-defense tool and are hardly
ever used to actually thwart burglaries or assaults. Allowing nearly anyone
to carry hidden, loaded guns nearly anywhere simply won't make us safer.
Common sense and years of history tell us that there's just no need to
legalize concealed weapons.
Law enforcement supports the current law. The
Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association strongly supports the state
prohibition against carrying concealed weapons in public and opposes
AB444/SB214. Police officers and sheriffs from around the state oppose the
carrying of hidden, loaded guns in public. Law enforcement is our "front
line" in dealing with gun crime. We should listen to law enforcement instead
of the gun lobby on this issue. Police, sheriffs and troopers don't want to
approach every situation assuming that someone is carrying a hidden, loaded
gun. And they don't want the state to sanction what is an inherently unsafe
practice.
Our Supreme Court backs a general prohibition
against concealed guns. In July 2003, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in
favor of Wisconsin's prohibition against carrying concealed weapons. The
court supported keeping weapons concealed only for persons in their own
residences and private business owners in their own premises. The court also
said that the general prohibition against carrying concealed weapons in
public is supported by our state constitution. The majority decision was
crystal clear as quoted directly: "Wisconsin's prohibition of the carrying
of concealed weapons is, as a general matter, a reasonable exercise of the
police power, and serves many valuable purposes in promoting public safety."
Permissive laws on concealed guns consistently
indicate more gun deaths. 14 of the 15 states with the highest firearm death
rates have permissive "shall issue" concealed carry laws like the one being
proposed for Wisconsin. 11 of the 15 states with the lowest firearm death
rates (Wisconsin included) prohibit concealed carry or have restrictive
laws.
Allowing concealed carry can mean more crime, not
less. There's no credible evidence that carrying hidden, loaded guns in
public reduces crime. Period. Statistics being used by concealed carry
proponents are, at best, inaccurate interpretations of data or, at worst,
verbatim quotes of "statistics" pulled out of thin air by the National Rifle
Association. An authoritative new book from the Brookings Institution,
"Evaluating Gun Policy" by Ludwig & Cook, 2003, reports that researchers
from Stanford and Yale (Ayres & Donohue) replicated and extended concealed
carry proponent John Lott's main study and concluded that it was deeply
flawed and that he was mistaken in his interpretation of the data. They
found that more concealed guns will not reduce crime and, if anything, may
increase it.
Wisconsin residents, gun owners included, don't want
to legalize concealed weapons. Polling data in Wisconsin consistently shows
opposition to legalizing concealed weapons in the range of 75% to 80% of all
adults. The public is absolutely against legislation such as AB444/SB214.
About two-thirds of gun owners in the state oppose legalizing concealed
guns. Carrying concealed is not a part of responsible gun ownership, as our
law has stood since the 1870s without hindrance to hundreds of thousands of
hunters and competitive shooters. Only a vocal minority of state residents,
led by the extremist pro-gun lobby, actively supports legalizing concealed
weapons. Just because a very small group of people wants to carry loaded
guns around in public doesn't make it a good idea or good public policy.
Unknown permit holders from other states will be
allowed to carry hidden guns here. AB444/SB214 allows all concealed weapons
permit holders from any other state to carry their weapons in Wisconsin.
These persons will be unknown to Wisconsin law enforcement and other
authorities and will necessitate cumbersome checks to confirm that their
permits are valid when necessary. Non-residents will be able to carry loaded
weapons in Wisconsin no matter what the training, background checking, and
other requirements are in their home state.
Guns would be allowed on school grounds, nursing
homes, churches, banks...just about anywhere. While concealed weapons should
not be allowed anywhere in public, it is particularly disturbing that
AB444/SB214 allows hidden guns on school property adjacent to school
buildings, in daycare centers, in malls, on college campuses, in nursing
homes, in churches, in restaurants that get up to 49% of their receipts from
serving alcohol, in banks and other business establishments, and in all
workplaces with no notice or recourse available for business owners,
customers or employees.
The Legislature needn't send a dead wrong message to
our young people. A permissive state law allowing nearly every adult to
carry concealed guns will send a terrible and troubling message to our young
people, telling them loud and clear that "the solution to crime and gun
violence is more guns carried by more people." Common sense and credible
data say otherwise. Our kids deserve better than a dead wrong signal from
the state about the "value" of carrying loaded guns around.
CCW provides an irresponsible boost for industry
marketing and increased handgun sales. Permissive laws allowing the carrying
of concealed guns have swept the nation, not because of public demand but
because they are a good marketing tool for the sale of handguns. Evidence
abounds that the gun industry and gun lobby believe that CCW is not a matter
of rights or effective personal self-defense, but rather a way to put more
guns on the streets.
Thank you,
Dan Ullrich
Program Director
Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Educational Fund
[email protected]
************
Interestingly, the WAVE Educational Fund is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Hmmm.....
**********
Dear Friends:
Bills to legalize the carrying of concealed weapons
(CCW) in Wisconsin have been introduced, and there is a good chance they
will pass unless we take action immediately. Wisconsin is one of the 16
states that sensibly prohibit or restrict carrying hidden, loaded guns in
public places. Assembly Bill 444 and Senate Bill 214 will turn back the
clock on gun violence prevention and allow nearly anyone to carry concealed
weapons nearly anywhere.
Please help defeat this dangerous and irresponsible
legislation. Here's what you can do:
1. Call and write your State Senator and State
Representative and ask them to vote against AB444/SB214. To find out who
your state legislators are, call the toll free hotline at 1-800-362-9472.
You can also contact your legislators directly through the web site,
www.legis.state.wi.us <http://www.legis.state.wi.us>.
2. Attend the public hearing on the CCW bills and
register and testify in opposition. The joint Senate-Assembly committee
hearing will be held on Tuesday, September 9, 10:00 a.m. in Madison, State
Capitol Room 411 South. It is important that the room be filled with as many
people as possible to show strong support for keeping Wisconsin's law
against concealed weapons. Bring others along to the hearing. Arrive as
early as possible to get a seat in the hearing room.
3. Write letters to your local newspaper expressing
your concerns about legalizing concealed weapons, urging your state elected
officials to vote against AB444/SB214, and urging Governor Jim Doyle to veto
the bill if it passes in the legislature.
Again, we need to act NOW to keep our state free of
legalized concealed weapons. It's time to take a stand for common sense and
make sure the gun lobby does not prevail over the vast majority of
Wisconsinites who support the current law.
Many groups have joined with Wisconsin Anti-Violence
Effort and made defeating the CCW bills a top priority. Organizations
including the Wisconsin Council on Children and Families and the Wisconsin
Chiefs of Police Association are coming out against the bill.
WAVE and the other coalition members thank you in
advance for doing anything you can to help out. Please let us know what
action you have taken. Copies of published letters to the editor and updates
on legislators' responses would be very useful. Reply via email or call
(414) 351-9283 if you would like more information for your calls or letters
or if you are planning to attend the hearing on September 9. Some of the
major points against legalizing concealed weapons are listed below.
There's just no need to legalize concealed weapons.
Wisconsin's law against carrying concealed guns in public places has served
us well for more than 130 years. Compared to states that have passed "shall
issue" concealed carry laws, our state remains a relatively safe place to
live. By many measures, crime rates are dropping in Wisconsin even as the
Midwest as a whole experiences an increase in crime. Even in states with
"shall issue" concealed carry permits readily available, only one or two out
of every one hundred adults carries hidden guns. There's no justification
for the state to sanction an unsafe practice that 98% of adults know will
likely do far more harm than good. Despite the gun lobby's rhetoric,
concealed guns are generally a terrible self-defense tool and are hardly
ever used to actually thwart burglaries or assaults. Allowing nearly anyone
to carry hidden, loaded guns nearly anywhere simply won't make us safer.
Common sense and years of history tell us that there's just no need to
legalize concealed weapons.
Law enforcement supports the current law. The
Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association strongly supports the state
prohibition against carrying concealed weapons in public and opposes
AB444/SB214. Police officers and sheriffs from around the state oppose the
carrying of hidden, loaded guns in public. Law enforcement is our "front
line" in dealing with gun crime. We should listen to law enforcement instead
of the gun lobby on this issue. Police, sheriffs and troopers don't want to
approach every situation assuming that someone is carrying a hidden, loaded
gun. And they don't want the state to sanction what is an inherently unsafe
practice.
Our Supreme Court backs a general prohibition
against concealed guns. In July 2003, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in
favor of Wisconsin's prohibition against carrying concealed weapons. The
court supported keeping weapons concealed only for persons in their own
residences and private business owners in their own premises. The court also
said that the general prohibition against carrying concealed weapons in
public is supported by our state constitution. The majority decision was
crystal clear as quoted directly: "Wisconsin's prohibition of the carrying
of concealed weapons is, as a general matter, a reasonable exercise of the
police power, and serves many valuable purposes in promoting public safety."
Permissive laws on concealed guns consistently
indicate more gun deaths. 14 of the 15 states with the highest firearm death
rates have permissive "shall issue" concealed carry laws like the one being
proposed for Wisconsin. 11 of the 15 states with the lowest firearm death
rates (Wisconsin included) prohibit concealed carry or have restrictive
laws.
Allowing concealed carry can mean more crime, not
less. There's no credible evidence that carrying hidden, loaded guns in
public reduces crime. Period. Statistics being used by concealed carry
proponents are, at best, inaccurate interpretations of data or, at worst,
verbatim quotes of "statistics" pulled out of thin air by the National Rifle
Association. An authoritative new book from the Brookings Institution,
"Evaluating Gun Policy" by Ludwig & Cook, 2003, reports that researchers
from Stanford and Yale (Ayres & Donohue) replicated and extended concealed
carry proponent John Lott's main study and concluded that it was deeply
flawed and that he was mistaken in his interpretation of the data. They
found that more concealed guns will not reduce crime and, if anything, may
increase it.
Wisconsin residents, gun owners included, don't want
to legalize concealed weapons. Polling data in Wisconsin consistently shows
opposition to legalizing concealed weapons in the range of 75% to 80% of all
adults. The public is absolutely against legislation such as AB444/SB214.
About two-thirds of gun owners in the state oppose legalizing concealed
guns. Carrying concealed is not a part of responsible gun ownership, as our
law has stood since the 1870s without hindrance to hundreds of thousands of
hunters and competitive shooters. Only a vocal minority of state residents,
led by the extremist pro-gun lobby, actively supports legalizing concealed
weapons. Just because a very small group of people wants to carry loaded
guns around in public doesn't make it a good idea or good public policy.
Unknown permit holders from other states will be
allowed to carry hidden guns here. AB444/SB214 allows all concealed weapons
permit holders from any other state to carry their weapons in Wisconsin.
These persons will be unknown to Wisconsin law enforcement and other
authorities and will necessitate cumbersome checks to confirm that their
permits are valid when necessary. Non-residents will be able to carry loaded
weapons in Wisconsin no matter what the training, background checking, and
other requirements are in their home state.
Guns would be allowed on school grounds, nursing
homes, churches, banks...just about anywhere. While concealed weapons should
not be allowed anywhere in public, it is particularly disturbing that
AB444/SB214 allows hidden guns on school property adjacent to school
buildings, in daycare centers, in malls, on college campuses, in nursing
homes, in churches, in restaurants that get up to 49% of their receipts from
serving alcohol, in banks and other business establishments, and in all
workplaces with no notice or recourse available for business owners,
customers or employees.
The Legislature needn't send a dead wrong message to
our young people. A permissive state law allowing nearly every adult to
carry concealed guns will send a terrible and troubling message to our young
people, telling them loud and clear that "the solution to crime and gun
violence is more guns carried by more people." Common sense and credible
data say otherwise. Our kids deserve better than a dead wrong signal from
the state about the "value" of carrying loaded guns around.
CCW provides an irresponsible boost for industry
marketing and increased handgun sales. Permissive laws allowing the carrying
of concealed guns have swept the nation, not because of public demand but
because they are a good marketing tool for the sale of handguns. Evidence
abounds that the gun industry and gun lobby believe that CCW is not a matter
of rights or effective personal self-defense, but rather a way to put more
guns on the streets.
Thank you,
Dan Ullrich
Program Director
Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Educational Fund
[email protected]
************
)
