Monkeyleg
Member.
Responding to anti-gun editorials is always difficult for me, because there are usually so many points to be covered that it's impossible to do so in two or three paragraphs. In essence, the reporters throw forty piles of dung at the wall to see what sticks, and those of us who try to reply can only address one of those piles.
For those interested, WI has seen some events that have made national news: the shooting of seven hunters late last year by a Hmong resident using either a Saiga 7.62 or an SKS; the shooting of eight people at a church meeting in a Sheraton Inn in a wealthy suburb of Milwaukee by a deranged church member; and the nearby shooting of an unarmed security guard and students of a school in Red Lake, MN.
Last week, we had a 64 year-old Arkansas man attacked by a mob of "youths," and the man pulled his gun from under his car seat and shot the closest attacker, killing him.
Two years ago, a man named Charlie Young was beaten to death by such a mob, with "youths" as young as eleven using 2x4's, fists, and any other object available to kill the man.
And that wasn't the last mob beating.
The man from Arkansas was able to defend himself, but wound up behind bars because of police red tape.
At any rate, I really need to distill a pro-CCW response to the editorial below down to the 250 word maximum the Journal Sentinel allows. (It took AG Lautenschlager about 1,000 words to admit that she was driving drunk, but she's a Big Shot).
So, please sharpen pencils and help out, please.
Here's the
editorial:
****************
Editorial: Still no to concealed-carry
Posted: April 5, 2005
"If I'm sitting in a room with 10 people, and they don't have guns, I feel safer."
- Waukesha County District Attorney Paul Bucher in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Nov. 7, 2003
Advertisement
Some gun advocates are trying to turn public alarm over an uptick in mass shootings around the nation into support for a law permitting the carrying of concealed weapons. Waukesha County's top prosecutor appeared to have joined their ranks Sunday in a New York Times story, in which he is quoted as saying that, to even the playing field, "We need to put more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens."
Paul Bucher's remarks raise concerns because:
• Now running for Wisconsin attorney general, he appears to have done an about-face from his previous public statements opposing a concealed-carry law, such as the quote cited on top of this editorial.
• More guns are likely to cause more harm than good. In other words, Bucher was right the first time.
Trying to clarify his remarks, Bucher told the Journal Sentinel that the Times quoted him out of context. He refused to speculate whether a concealed-carry law would have prevented such mass shootings as took place at a church service at a Brookfield hotel last month. But he expressed support for such a law and insisted that he had never opposed it. His past remarks sound quite like opposition, however.
His present stance is worrisome. Terry Ratzmann was law-abiding - until he went to a service of the Living Church of God at the Sheraton hotel in Brookfield on March 12 and killed eight, including himself, and wounded four.
Unfortunately, not all law-abiding citizens stay that way. So, a statute permitting law-abiders to tote hidden guns gives that right to other Ratzmanns.
Gun advocates counter that, had others at the church service packed heat, they could have stopped Ratzmann. These people have likely watched too many Westerns. The average gun toter won't be a quick-draw, sharpshooting Wyatt Earp. Keep in mind that Ratzmann fired his 22 shots in just a minute - not much time to counter while ducking for cover. What's more, another gunman could well have drawn fatal fire from Ratzmann or have hit innocent crowd members by accident.
In Tyler, Texas, two days after the Brookfield shooting, Mark Wilson, a bystander licensed to carry concealed weapons, tried to stop a shooting spree outside the courthouse, only to become its victim. David Arroyo, who had just killed his wife, shot and killed Wilson and sprayed the area with an AK-47 rifle before fleeing in his car. Police gave chase and shot him to death.
Neither is the Atlanta courtroom shooting much of an advertisement for concealed-carry. After all, alleged perpetrator Brian Nichols overcame armed and trained officers to pursue his rampage. Armed judges or prosecutors - which the gun lobby is advocating - wouldn't have stood much of a chance.
Last session, Gov. Jim Doyle successfully vetoed a concealed-carry bill - with much encouragement from the state's law enforcement community. Bucher's new stance signals a defection.
Milwaukee Police Chief Nannette Hegerty has it right, however. She told us Tuesday: "I think there are far too many firearms in the city, to begin with." She worries that a concealed-carry license holder would pull out a gun in a fit of rage, whereas having to go home to retrieve the weapon would give hot emotions a chance to cool.
A concealed-carry law remains a bad idea for Wisconsin, Bucher's apparent and unfortunate flip-flop notwithstanding.
For those interested, WI has seen some events that have made national news: the shooting of seven hunters late last year by a Hmong resident using either a Saiga 7.62 or an SKS; the shooting of eight people at a church meeting in a Sheraton Inn in a wealthy suburb of Milwaukee by a deranged church member; and the nearby shooting of an unarmed security guard and students of a school in Red Lake, MN.
Last week, we had a 64 year-old Arkansas man attacked by a mob of "youths," and the man pulled his gun from under his car seat and shot the closest attacker, killing him.
Two years ago, a man named Charlie Young was beaten to death by such a mob, with "youths" as young as eleven using 2x4's, fists, and any other object available to kill the man.
And that wasn't the last mob beating.
The man from Arkansas was able to defend himself, but wound up behind bars because of police red tape.
At any rate, I really need to distill a pro-CCW response to the editorial below down to the 250 word maximum the Journal Sentinel allows. (It took AG Lautenschlager about 1,000 words to admit that she was driving drunk, but she's a Big Shot).
So, please sharpen pencils and help out, please.
Here's the
editorial:****************
Editorial: Still no to concealed-carry
Posted: April 5, 2005
"If I'm sitting in a room with 10 people, and they don't have guns, I feel safer."
- Waukesha County District Attorney Paul Bucher in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Nov. 7, 2003
Advertisement
Some gun advocates are trying to turn public alarm over an uptick in mass shootings around the nation into support for a law permitting the carrying of concealed weapons. Waukesha County's top prosecutor appeared to have joined their ranks Sunday in a New York Times story, in which he is quoted as saying that, to even the playing field, "We need to put more guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens."
Paul Bucher's remarks raise concerns because:
• Now running for Wisconsin attorney general, he appears to have done an about-face from his previous public statements opposing a concealed-carry law, such as the quote cited on top of this editorial.
• More guns are likely to cause more harm than good. In other words, Bucher was right the first time.
Trying to clarify his remarks, Bucher told the Journal Sentinel that the Times quoted him out of context. He refused to speculate whether a concealed-carry law would have prevented such mass shootings as took place at a church service at a Brookfield hotel last month. But he expressed support for such a law and insisted that he had never opposed it. His past remarks sound quite like opposition, however.
His present stance is worrisome. Terry Ratzmann was law-abiding - until he went to a service of the Living Church of God at the Sheraton hotel in Brookfield on March 12 and killed eight, including himself, and wounded four.
Unfortunately, not all law-abiding citizens stay that way. So, a statute permitting law-abiders to tote hidden guns gives that right to other Ratzmanns.
Gun advocates counter that, had others at the church service packed heat, they could have stopped Ratzmann. These people have likely watched too many Westerns. The average gun toter won't be a quick-draw, sharpshooting Wyatt Earp. Keep in mind that Ratzmann fired his 22 shots in just a minute - not much time to counter while ducking for cover. What's more, another gunman could well have drawn fatal fire from Ratzmann or have hit innocent crowd members by accident.
In Tyler, Texas, two days after the Brookfield shooting, Mark Wilson, a bystander licensed to carry concealed weapons, tried to stop a shooting spree outside the courthouse, only to become its victim. David Arroyo, who had just killed his wife, shot and killed Wilson and sprayed the area with an AK-47 rifle before fleeing in his car. Police gave chase and shot him to death.
Neither is the Atlanta courtroom shooting much of an advertisement for concealed-carry. After all, alleged perpetrator Brian Nichols overcame armed and trained officers to pursue his rampage. Armed judges or prosecutors - which the gun lobby is advocating - wouldn't have stood much of a chance.
Last session, Gov. Jim Doyle successfully vetoed a concealed-carry bill - with much encouragement from the state's law enforcement community. Bucher's new stance signals a defection.
Milwaukee Police Chief Nannette Hegerty has it right, however. She told us Tuesday: "I think there are far too many firearms in the city, to begin with." She worries that a concealed-carry license holder would pull out a gun in a fit of rage, whereas having to go home to retrieve the weapon would give hot emotions a chance to cool.
A concealed-carry law remains a bad idea for Wisconsin, Bucher's apparent and unfortunate flip-flop notwithstanding.
