Wisconsin Concealed Carry's Big Day

The Journal Sentinal reports on the concealed carry legislation which goes into effect today in Wisconsin.

The NRA was upset at rumors that Wisconsin’s Department of Justice would require live-fire training and mandate at least four hours of safety instruction overall. Meanwhile, critics feared that online video courses might be deemed enough to get a permit.

Some of those rumors were unfounded -- permit applicants need not fire a gun (as in Minnesota), and training must be face-to-face with a certified instructor. The four-hour length was approved, though, in the emergency rulesissued by Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen.

Nevertheless, despite the specific rules that drew criticism from gun advocates, Wisconsin’s overall law is still in the Top 10 for ease of access to permits, according to Nik Clark, head of Wisconsin Carry Inc., a nonprofit gun-rights organization.

The NRA and the Wisconsin Carry folks oppose live-fire training and feel four hours in the classroom is too much. Is that incredible, or what?

If these gun-rights people had any sense they'd be the ones crying for more qualifying requirements not less. The laxity of concealed carry laws are directly related to the frequency of incidents involving CCW permit holders. They say they're too few to worry about, we say they're too many, but the fact is whatever the true percentage, they are largely preventable.

The counter-intuitive thinking which leads most gun-rights people to fight against common sense regulations is always surprising, but I think I understand where it comes from. Years ago the NRA began a campaign which basically said any and all gun control laws were evil because they violate the 2nd Amendment Rights of American citizens. The real reason for their campaign of propaganda was the "slippery slope theory" and a good bit of paranoia.

This was picked up by the mindless masses, NRA members and other gun owners, and repeated over and over again with reference to gun registration and gun-owner licensing, with regards to eliminating private sales of guns, about the AWB of course, magazine capacity, and every other restriction or regulation you can think of.

The irony is that through the years of practicing this united effort against the "gun controllers," they've lost sight of reality. Case in point, Wisconsin Concealed Carry. The requirements are so lax that Wisconsin went from one of only two states to not allow it to among the top ten most lenient. This will guarantee blowback which will be used by their critics against them.

The real problem is this is not an academic exercise or an argument over the dinner table. Lives are at stake. There will be more incidents of domestic violence against women, there will be more incidents of disgruntled employees going berserk, there will be more trouble in bars. Then the proponents of the legislation will cherry pick stats and manipulate the facts in order to appease their critics and please their followers. And meanwhile, people will have unnecessarily suffered and died.

What's your opinion? Is this a good day in Wisconsin or a bad one?

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