I just got this e-mail from one of the groups fighting for the right to carry in Wisconsin. The info he forwarded is an answer to "Police Anti 2nd ammendment?
From: Dick Baker <
[email protected]>
Date: Mon Sep 15, 2003 07:02:17 PM US/Central
To: website misc alert group 9 <
[email protected]>
Subject: WCCA: A police officer's view on concealed carry
I received this email last evening and, after the anti-CCW statements made
by police chiefs at last Tuesday's hearings, thought some folks would like
to get the perspective from a real police officer.
*****************
My name is Mark Williamson, NRA member # 131841963. I am on the
Board of Directors for the Wisconsin Law Enforcement Training Officers
Association. We are a 800+ strong organization that has been around for 37
years and we train all of the police officers and recruits in the State of
Wisconsin at both the department level and the training academies at all of
the Technical Schools in the State of Wisconsin.
I just returned from our yearly fall conference that lasts three days
and it was up in Cable, Wisconsin at the Telemark Lodge. On the last day of
the conference, we are always addressed by Dan (not his real name), an
attorney for the State of Wisconsin's Department of Justice down in Madison.
Dan has always been a friend of our organization and is a fine man and a
very good attorney, so this letter is not written to defame him or his
character, rather to show how the police officer who works the "street"
feels about our 2nd Amendment Rights.
Dan did his introduction and then asked how we felt about the attempt
to get a concealed carry law passed. I felt as most of us did at that point
that Dan was against this being passed. Dan asked for a show of hands in
the crowd of about 130 trainers who "did not" want this to be passed. One
officer slightly and sheepishly raised his hand. Dan seemed stunned, so he
asked who was "for" this law being passed, and every hand in the crowd
except for the one dissenter raised their hands strongly towards the
ceiling.
Dan questioned several of us why we felt that this would be good,
and several of us stated in no uncertain terms that his opinion didn't
matter as it was already our right given to us by the Constitution of the
United States of America. We did however tell him why and how this would
work and be a good thing for everyone. I personally felt that Dan was
going to be very critical about the law being passed, but we shot him down
before he could get airborne.
A comment was made about all of the Chiefs of Police being against this
being passed. One of the comments from one of the officers in the crowd was
that the Chiefs are all "lapdogs of the Clinton administration and the Brady
people" to the loud ovation of the officers in the crowd. I have to admit
that even I was stunned that only one police officer was against the
concealed carry law, but I was certainly happy that it was this way. I just
thought you might like to hear this.
To Dan's credit, he did give us the chance to have an open forum on the
issue, but I would think that even he is surprised of the results.
Sincerely Yours,
Mark J. Williamson
LETOA Board of Directors
