Concealed Carry hasn't made Wisconsin any safer, as promised!!! Oh well, looks like everyone needs a gun now.

Who didn't see this coming?

More homicides were recorded in Milwaukee in August than in any other month over the past 25 years ... total of 24 homicides in August was the highest since July 1991 ... the city’s per capita rate was even higher than that of Chicago.

Chief Edward Flynn (said) police have recorded a slight increase in domestic violence homicides this year “But the biggest driver of our homicides is arguments and fights and retaliation among people with criminal records.

Oh wait, this doesn't count, because it's the city of Milwaukee, "the anchor holding back the ship of state," or so says Republicans Rep. Bob Gannon:

Gannon focused his comments on problems with unemployment and crime ... and said the city is "the anchor holding back the ship of state as far as jobs is concerned ... if only our largest city would clean up the murder and mayhem on their streets ... Could one make a connection between employment opportunities and the level of crime on those same streets? What employer will build or expand when they fear muggings, car jackings, attempted murder, or other serious criminal threats to their employees?"

Republicans under Scott Walker washed their hands of Milwaukee a long time ago, and in fact, have done everything they could to shut down any chance the city had for economic expansion. By adding guns to the American way of life there it's not to surprising that fire arms are now being used to settle all kinds of disputes:

Concealed Carry Killers is an on-line VPC resource that tallies news reports of killings by concealed handgun permit holders ... “It is now commonplace for mass shooters to be licensed to carry concealed handguns. It is clear that the licensing systems are completely ineffective at weeding out applicants who are likely to kill in anger rather than self-defense.

Of the 125 incidents in 28 states that resulted in the 213 deaths, in more than half (71 incidents) the concealed handgun permit holder has already been convicted, committed suicide after the incident, or was killed in the incident. Of the 54 cases still pending, the vast majority (44) of concealed handgun permit holders have been charged with criminal homicide, two were deemed incompetent to stand trial, two incidents were unintentional shootings, and six incidents are still under investigation.

After posting this, I received this typically racist Republican response...what's that, liberals are racist...right:

From a July 2013 post on concealed guns, Mayor Barrett and I saw this coming:

My conservative friend called me and told me how mad he was two concealed carry owners had a very public shootout. He said it makes them all look bad. I told him it’s not just that dangerous shootout, but the now casual way people are using weapons. We've opened a Pandora’s Box.

No one is safe anymore from a supposedly perfectly legal and “responsible” gun owner. Right now, we’re all sitting ducks.

jsonline: Two Milwaukee men — each with a state permit to carry a concealed weapon — traded dozens of shots in a rolling shootout through two sides of town and down a freeway, the kind of scenario concealed-carry opponents feared would turn road rage incidents deadly. Eric Adamany, 27 (one of the shooters) estimated people in the other vehicle fired 50 to 100 rounds at his car. The gunfight is bound to spark more debate over concealed carry.

It didn't. Pointing out the new mindset we’re seeing with gun violence in Milwaukee:

Mayor Tom Barrett said "This has always been one of my concerns (with the concealed-carry law) — that things like road rage could turn out like the wild, wild West," he said. "Here we are."

But hey, actual concealed carry owners would never do that, unless of course only the irresponsible ones do it. That's what gun nut Nik Clark says:

Nik Clark, president of Wisconsin Carry Inc., a gun rights advocacy group, said both Adamany and Scott's actions fell well outside of any kind of responsible gun owner training.

Ya think:

But he also said their irresponsible gun use is outweighed by at least five instances … "The fact that we now have a single instance where a CCL holder may have broken the law doesn't change the reality that concealed carry works," Clark said.

Losers like Nik Clark continue to downplay the significance of this development with contradictory excuses and lies. It wasn't the only case:

In another recent case, a concealed-carry license holder was charged in a shooting … the two men got into a fight after visiting taverns together … told police he fired when he feared Banks was about to attack him again.

Safer Concealed Carry Wisconsin now needs 600 Law Enforcement "boots on the ground" to save Milwaukee, says Sheriff Clarke.

The police state is right around the corner folks, if Sheriff David Clarke gets his way.

Our spend thrift party of punishment, Walker's Republican Authority, really has no concept of money.

Fake Democratic poser, right wing favorite Sheriff David Clarke, kind of made that obvious the other day when he called for the creation of an army of law enforcement officers to secure Milwaukee.

Clarke actually wants "enough boots on the ground," a military reference, to secure the states largest city. JS

Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. is calling on the city to hire 400 new police officers.Clarke also urged Milwaukee County to hire an additional 200 sheriff's deputies.

"I still maintain we don't have enough boots on the ground in this city and county to effectively deal — to effectively initiate strategies. I know that cops matter."

What, our armed civilian militia has ended up making our streets more dangerous to the point of needing 600 new cops? Of course underlying all of this is the cost, which for Clarke and other conservatives isn't a problem since there's so much extra money out still being spent on public services:

Clarke said there needs to be a comprehensive "action plan" to combat violence in Milwaukee. He also demanded an end to what he called "social engineering experiments" like electronic monitoring programs and deferred prosecution and warned that "hot-spot policing" works only on a limited basis because police need to have a constant visual presence in the community.

Ignoring the Constitution when it doesn't fit their desired outcome, tea party losers like Clarke don't seem to mind creating a POLICE STATE "lawfully." I'm not making the following up: 

He urged for "stop, question and frisk" policing, 100 searches per night of homes where those on parole are living and aggressive traffic stops targeting repeat offenders.

"We need to rain holy hell on these individuals — lawfully. We don't need to violate anybody's rights to do this."

Nobody could be this deep in denial and not be a danger to himself and everyone around him.

Getting back to what Clarke's insane plan would cost, he believes $40 million is do-able, but can't explain where he'll get it:

Ald. Terry Witkowski asked Clarke how the city would pay for 400 new officers, estimating it would cost Milwaukee about $40 million annually. Witkowski also noted that state officials have limited the city's ability to increase taxes.

The sheriff said it was the job of city leaders to prioritize spending and come up with funding for public safety. "Right now, I could drive around this city for two hours and never see a cop. They are understaffed and under siege, just keeping up with calls for service."

Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn called Clarke "irrelevant to my work." "I'd love to have 400 more cops, if somebody could come up with a way to pay for them without breaking the backs of Milwaukee taxpayers," Flynn said. "There's no there there."
He suggested Clarke talk to "his good friend" Gov. Scott Walker about restoring money that's been cut from Milwaukee's shared revenue payments. "Just restore state aid and we'll have a discussion," Flynn said.

Perhaps the Public Safety Committee should have asked Clarke's how he's spending taxpayer dollars the Sheriffs Department. That must be an ugly mess of twisted priorities. 

This is Freedom? "The appeals court says while it may be alarming, openly carrying firearms without evidence of criminal or malicious intent is legal."

Feeling safer in our society is not the ultimate goal of our armed band of in your face gun rights strangers. They may feel safer, not safe, carrying a gun, but it's having the opposite effect on society. With armed strangers around, everyone else senses danger, and a limit on their own freedom to feel secure in their own community, their state and their country. We're screwed:

A Wisconsin appeals court has overturned the loitering conviction of a man who was walking near a school with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle on his shoulder.

The following is anything but normal:

The St. Croix County Circuit Court should have dismissed the case because the evidence suggested the only reason Hoffman was stopped was because of the guns. The appeals court says while it may be alarming, openly carrying firearms without evidence of criminal or malicious intent is legal.

Alarming is okay now, thanks to an activist conservative Supreme Court decision overturning a century of reasoned 2nd Amendment decisions.

Scared sh**less, Rep. Jesse Kremer wants guns in schools to fight....terrorism!!!

The effort to coerce "soft targets," people like you and me who don't carry a gun, into carrying out of fear for our lives, continues abated.

While violent crime has skyrocketed since concealed carry passed, and gun deaths in Milwaukee increased by 40% over last year, Scott Walker continues to perpetuate the myth that Wisconsin is now safer.

If not in UW classrooms, at least in our elementary, middle and high school buildings: Two Republican extremists have oddly made arming people in and around schools an idea who's time has come.

Even worse, the bill's creators admitted it was a way to protect supposed "responsible gun owners" from accidentally breaking the law in schools zones. You know, irresponsible behavior made legal:

Senate President Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) said the measure is intended to make sure weapons permit holders aren't inadvertently committing crimes when they drop their kids off at school. "I don't want to see that happen to well intentioned law-abiding people," she said in an interview.

Apparently one guy forgot about his gun and was arrested. So the natural reaction...is make bad behavior legal?

This reminds me of time Rep. Joel Kleefisch tried to change the states child support law because one guy didn't like the amount he had to pay.

Not just the 2nd Amendment, we're fighting terrorism in schools: Even worse than worse, Republican Rep. Jesse Kremer said his sponsorship of the bill was based on fighting terrorism...in our schools? Watch in utter disbelief folks. Kewaskum is so proud. WISC:

Kremer: "The biggest concern I have isn't necessarily the nut-job, it is a terrorist attack. And right now we are ripe for a terrorist attack...it probably won't be in the big city, it'll be in a small rural area where no one expects it because they know those are soft targets."

Coincidentally, Kewaskum is a small rural area that could be attacked. Kremer's fear mongering might be your typical GOP get-out-the-vote effort for 2016. Ya think?

Lawsuit Crazy AG Schimel dangerously behind by 2 Years updating Websites Crime Statistics that benefit community Law Enforcement.

Scott Walker’s embarrassing lapdog of an Attorney General Brad Schimel is spending so much time getting an earful from the governor on the next anti-government lawsuit, that he doesn’t have time to do anything else, like his job. Wausau Daily Herald:

A state-run website devoted to informing Wisconsinites about crime in their communities has become increasingly outdated due to a sluggish overhaul by Attorney General Brad Schimel's Department of Justice … the public has seen no benefit from these efforts so far. The most recent crime data currently available is from 2012, two years behind Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota and other states with similar websites.

Walker can’t blame the big bad federal government for this one. In another holy crap moment:

Even the federal government, typically slower than states to publish crime data, has rolled out more current statistics about Wisconsin than the state’s own Department of Justice. Online federal data shows violent crime grew slightly in the state from 2012 to 2014, largely due to more robberies.

Wisconsin not Safer under Walker, and getting Worse: While violent crime has increased since the passage of concealed carry and the stand your ground law, Walker’s AG is making things worse by not giving localities the resources to resolve problem areas.

Wisconsin hasn’t lived up to that basic mission in recent years. State officials have received mountains of data from local authorities and passed it on to the federal government but declined to publish it themselves while searching for new software to publicly release crime data. 

The standstill effectively leaves many Wisconsinites with an outdated view of crime patterns in their communities and fewer tools to track what local law enforcement agencies are doing to keep them safe. 

Here we are in 2016 and....

The agency referred us to its website for historical statistics and said 2013 numbers were available only upon request while the website was being updated. Also, data from 2014 had not yet been compiled.

This isn't the first time Schimel had trouble updating websites. Radio cancer Vicki McKenna kindly trashed Schimel for not being ready for a simple interview, where he couldn't remember the address to his own AG campaign website:

Gun Sanity fights back!

Isn’t it about time Democrats counter the Republican agenda with laws that make life incredibly uncomfortable for them.

So, let’s talk GUNS!!!

The GOP roadblock agenda has been overwhelming; voter regulatory hoops, abortion restrictions, testing for food stamps and tighter unemployment qualifications. It's time Democratic answer that challenge with their own set of roadblocks. Virginia has stepped up to the plate, and it's genius:

Virginia last week. Attorney General Mark Herring announced that he would unilaterally repeal agreements with 25 other states for reciprocal recognition of carry permits by February 1st, claiming that he found their standards for issuing carry permits too low. Herring argued that Virginia residents could apply for and receive carry permits in other states when they couldn’t qualify within their own state and therefore evade the restrictions imposed by Virginia law.

Yes, yes, yes. And that includes Wisconsin of course, where almost anything goes now.

And yet, one of the oddest reactions to Virginia's effort was this editorial response in the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

But stopping reciprocity agreements with 25 states will do nothing to deter crime here in Virginia. The question that should be asked of Herring is this: Why target CHP holders if they aren’t committing the majority of crimes?

Oh, so CC owners aren't "committing the majority of crimes," just a few of them?

Elections Matter, except when they don't: CC advocates are also making the argument that the Democrats lost in the recent elections...except when they won:

Since Gov. Terry McAuliffe, Herring, and Democrats lost big-time in electoral contests last month — despite millions of dollars from their billionaire benefactor Michael Bloomberg — they are now using tyrannical means to impose more gun control as retribution for their losses.

"Tyrannical" control or the will of the people? Yet the editorial contradicts itself with this head spinning admission about elections:

What’s the takeaway from all of this? Elections can have very deleterious consequences. Virginians knew very well that McAuliffe, Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam, and Herring were going to enact gun control by any means possible, but they chose to elect them over good men like former Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli and state Sen. Mark Obenshain. 

Constitutional Hail Mary Lunacy: According to CC advocates, one states law must respect other states laws, the Constitution says so. They're now suddenly saying reciprocity agreements are unnecessary. Oh, now you bring it up...:

Why are they needed in the first place? Article IV, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution states, “Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State.” The inclusion of that clause clearly intended to prevent these kind of legal traps for law-abiding citizens by forcing other states to recognize the licenses and permits of other states, and its placement in the original articles shows that this takes precedence over the 10th Amendment recognition of state sovereignty.

Yes, earlier parts of the Constitution are more constitutional than the latter parts. Love the concept, since that included the 2nd Amendment.

The Fox News Debate: The Accountability Project's Nomiki Konst is the best I've seen arguing against irresponsible gun laws. Townhall's Guy Benson on the other hand, doesn't like it when a "Democrat" AG does what he legally can do...by supposed "fiat:"

Guy Benson: "They failed to regain the state senate...Now that they've lost, now that they've had a failed attempt to convince voters, what are they doing, they're having the state's attorney general - a Democrat - impose this agenda by fiat. Now apparently its within his legal right and authority to do so..."

(Side Note: I'm fascinated by the right wings campaign to make Democratic lawmaking an unthinkable act of villainous conduct. It's a 5 year theme that has taken hold and radicalized the right, making one party authoritarian rule now, the winner by default.)

Not Safer - CC Raising Violent Crime: Forcing through lenient gun laws for the minority of gun toting Wisconsinites who don't represent the majority of us who feel less secure with armed strangers prancing around now have the numbers to back up what we've been saying all along:

Political Heat: In fact, according to FBI statistics that have studied active-shooter situations (PDF), a person without a gun is more likely to stop a shooter than someone with a gun. Thirteen percent of active-shooter situations studied by the FBI ended with someone using means besides a gun to end the situation. Conversely, in only three percent of all active-shooter situations did a “good guy with a gun” actually stop a “bad guy” with a gun.

According to FBI crime stats since concealed carry was implemented in the state, violent crime has gone up in Wisconsin by 22 percent. That’s not to say that concealed carry was responsible for that rise in crime -- but it has failed to make us safer, as proponents like Gov. Scott Walker promised it would in 2011.

Wisconsin controlled by a party that compares carrying Guns to "carrying Smartphones." Smart phones are killing us?

Sadly, I don't even think this irresponsible juvenile comment will move the needle with conservative voters who have invested their identities in their party. WPR:

The Republican speaker of the state Assembly says he's fine with people carrying concealed guns in university buildings, and likened it to carrying smartphones. 

"I don't have a problem with people carrying a smartphone or carrying anything else. It's a tool. It's who uses the tool and how they use it."

Shocker!!! Democrats fight Campus Carry with No Guns on Campus bill. Mass shootings not about mental health, it's about Anger.

This is what I think every Democratic voter has been waiting for for years, taking it to Republicans, putting on an offensive that clearly defines where their party stands.

A bill circulated by three Madison Democrats in the state Assembly— Chris Taylor, Terese Berceau, Melissa Sargent, would make carrying a dangerous weapon on public college campuses a felony.

The "college campus dangerous weapon ban" bill proposed Wednesday by three Madison Democrats — Rep. Chris Taylor, Rep. Melissa Sargent and Rep. Terese Berceau — would make carrying a dangerous weapon on campus a Class I felony. It would codify existing Administrative Code provisions and practices of public and private colleges and universities in state statute. 

There is a clear choice. As a parent with a son heading off to Madison in a couple of years, there's no way I want him in a class filled with firearms...even one. Because it's not really about mental illness. Wouldn't you know it, Republicans have us chasing down another rabbit hole to nowhere.  

The real problem is out of control anger, or "Intermittent explosive disorder" (IED). 

That's why Democratic legislators are pushing to reinstate the 48 hour cooling off period.  WISC/WKOW:

Families of victims of gun violence argued that repealing the waiting period should not have been about the time it takes to do a background check, which is what Republican authors argued earlier in the year. The groups said a "cooling-off period" was needed, especially in cases of suicide.

Slate:

Violence is not a product of mental illness. Nor is violence generally the action of ordinary, stable individuals who suddenly “break” and commit crimes of passion. Violent crimes are committed by violent people, those who do not have the skills to manage their anger. Most homicides are committed by people with a history of violence. Murderers are rarely ordinary, law-abiding citizens, and they are also rarely mentally ill. Violence is a product of compromised anger management skills. 

In a summary of studies on murder and prior record of violence, Don Kates and Gary Mauser found that 80 to 90 percent of murderers had prior police records, in contrast to 15 percent of American adults overall. In a study of domestic murderers, 46 percent of the perpetrators had had a restraining order against them at some time. Family murders are preceded by prior domestic violence more than 90 percent of the time. Violent crimes are committed by people who lack the skills to modulate anger, express it constructively, and move beyond it. 

The one relevant diagnosis is intermittent explosive disorder, a disorder of anger management. Violent crimes committed by people with severe mental illnesses get a lot of attention, but such attacks are relatively rare. Paolo del Vecchio of the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has said, “Violence by those with mental illness is so small that even if you could somehow cure it all, 95 percent of violent crime would still exist” ... with significant encouragement from the gun lobby, the public has begun to seize on the wrong explanation for tragic, violent events. They focus not on the IED-diagnosed patients but on those with other diagnoses, schizophrenia in particular, ignoring the fact that what the perpetrators have in common in every single one of these cases is a loss of control of their anger. No effort is being made to address the much broader cultural problem of anger management. This broader problem encompasses not just mass murders but violence toward children and spouses, rape, road rage, assault, and violent robberies. We are a culture awash in anger. Uncontrolled anger has become our No. 1 mental health issue. We have sought scapegoats in minority cultures, racial groups, and now the mentally ill. 

 The "college campus dangerous weapon ban" bill is similar to laws in 9 other states. While Republicans have taken the hopeless position that "there's nothing anybody can do, good luck," Democrats are trying to solve a problem no other industrialized country has. jsonline: 

(It's) in response to one proposed earlier this week by Rep. Jesse Kremer (R-Kewaskum) says current law is not stopping those who want to cause mayhem from doing so on and around campus.

The co-sponsorship memo the three Democrats sent to lawmakers Wednesday referred to a recent Stanford study that concluded more guns lead to higher rates of aggravated assault, robbery, rape and murder. Having a firearm present in a domestic violence situation also increases a woman's risk of dying by homicide by 500%, the memo said.

University of Texas students open carry DILDO'S to protest new campus concealed carry law.

September 11^th triggered a weird reaction in the American psyche. The insatiable need to protect ourselves with guns. 

But there's a new movement rising up...

Next August, Texans will be allowed to carry concealed weapons on public university campuses. In the wake of a spate of shootings on campus, a new group is planning a unique protest … planning to strap on sex toys in protest of the state’s new campus carry law, which goes into effect August 1, 2016.

Note: In Wisconsin Republicans have gone even further, with a bill called "Campus Carry," and it should make any parent sending their kid to the Badger state shudder; CC students will be able to carry a gun in class.

Apparently University of Texas students don't like the idea: 

Ammoland: The 24-year-old UT alumna added, “You’re carrying a gun to class? Yeah well I’m carrying a HUGE DILDO. Just about as effective at protecting us from sociopathic shooters, but much safer for recreational play.”

The organizer, Jessica Jin, wrote. The protest organizer, Jessica Jin, said, “You would receive a citation for taking a DILDO to class before you would get in trouble for taking a gun to class. Heaven forbid the penis." Jin urges any and everyone to join the cause, "Come one dildo, come all dildos."

Gun rights trolls have been leaving their comments on the "Campus (DILDO) Carry" Facebook page, proving once and for all their amazing maturity. Daily Beast:

Facebook page, do little to quell Claudia Garate, 27, a graduate student at UT Austin’s fears about the law.

“The arguments that are pro-gun carrying...so many are centered around hate, misogyny, and racism. It’s a lot of hate from these people trying to defend this law, and that’s the scariest part. Because on one hand, they say they want to defend people and are obsessed with this idea of being a vigilante. [On the other], the young woman who organized this is receiving death threats.”

Indeed, the sex-toy brigade’s social media has been inundated with abuse. “I’m guessing that the organizer of this event is a huge slut. Should be funny to watch!” wrote Ron Cox, a Facebook commenter from Mississippi.

“I'm going to post all of your pictures on Facebook so your fathers can see how their daughters act at a liberal college,” a Texan named C.W. Cooper wrote.

“Skanks all of them,” a commenter named A.J. Hands wrote. “I think the guys should all walk around with rubber boobs on and crying everywhere, no problems with that huh ladies?”

Garate told The Daily Beast her pals are already talking about buying of burnt orange dildos in support of the campus’s colors. “It’s really telling about our society and the way we glorify violence but then vilify sex and sexuality. How can you be outraged about the idea of people carrying dildos, but not all the people getting gunned down and the violence we see day in and day out? I thought [the protest] was a pretty brilliant move.”

State Republicans want Campus Carry, weeks after the Oregon Community College Shooting.

Is this really Wisconsin anymore, or just a backwater state of thugs? Will travelers be afraid to even drive through America’s Dairyland paradise? Correction, make that “Carryland” paradise.

I swear, if “Stand with Walker” voters don’t react to this, it’s all over. WSJ:

Campus Carry: GOP lawmakers want to allow concealed weapons in public college buildings: Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau This bill exempts any college or university in the University of Wisconsin System and any technical college from the law that allows a university or college to prohibit a person from carrying a firearm in any building on its grounds if the person holds a license to carry a concealed weapon.

You won’t even believe this mind numbing and irresponsible inclusion:

This bill also repeals the provision in the administrative code in which the University of Wisconsin System generally prohibits persons from carrying, possessing, or using any dangerous weapon on university lands or in university buildings or facilities.

Seriously? It's a WTF right wing moment of shear hostility.

The bill … comes less than two weeks after a gunman killed nine people at an Oregon community college.

This same GOP action is taking place in Texas, and students are holding a "Cocks not Glocks" protest, carrying dildos to class. (I'm posting this soon.)

Blame the same guy trying to vilify and keep transgender kids out of restrooms in our schools; State Rep. Jesse Kremer, R-Kewaskum. Along for the ride, state Sen. Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg.

Elections have consequences, agreed, but I don't believe anyone expected this:

Kremer (said) that allowing students and others to carry weapons would be a "deterrent" to crime on and around campuses.

Summing it up....

Several UW-Madison professors weighed in against the proposal on Twitter Monday. Professor Don Moynihan said, "(It's) hard to think of a policy that would make me feel less safe at work."

The worst way to respond to this outlandish idea? God this is so disappointing and so typical of the Democratic Party:

State Rep. Melissa Sargent, D-Madison, whose district includes the Truax Campus of Madison Area Technical College: “I don’t see how this adds to the safety on campus,” she said. “Having folks walk around with concealed carry doesn’t make me feel safer.” 

Scott Walker tosses 2nd Amendment at public event announcing presidential run. What, law abiding citizens are dangerous?

Until the party who insisted we'd all be safer with an armed public, start walking-the-walk with no firearm restrictions at their political events, we can assume they're not only hypocrites but intimidated wimps hiding behind macho talk of "guns, freedom and liberty."

I'm challenging Wisconsin Carry Inc. to make their point loud and clear at the Waukesha County Expo, instead of just strutting their stuff at public farmers markets and grocery stores. Get the governors attention and honest position on CC and open carry, because right now he thinks law abiding gun owning citizens are scary and dangerous:

The Second Amendment of our Federal constitution explicitly affirms one of the limitless numbers of rights we enjoy as human beings... The right to keep and bear arms. We believe that "Open-Carry" and "Conceal Carry" are choices to be made by law-abiding citizens based on what suits their needs best.- Wisconsin Carry Inc.

Hat tip to Political Heat for noticing.

I thought this tweet was a bit ironic and insulting to our heavily armed civilian militia, suggesting law abiding gun owners would even think to threaten Walker. If anything, having them in the crowd to protect Walker is a big plus:

Concealed Carry Groups trying to hide behind laws banning data collection, keeping public in the dark about real impact of guns.

Gun toting freaks in our legislatures and on our streets nationwide have done all they could to hide the impact of fast and loose gun laws. If law enforcement can't collect the data, then we'll never know how to fine tune CC laws. And what we don't know may hurt us, but we just can't say for sure. 

The brain trust carrying guns?

As adults, we didn't have to let it get out of control.

So hows concealed carry working out? Just wonderful since it's against the law to find out. Seriously, what are they afraid of, and what are they intentionally trying to hide? jsonline:

Milwaukee police say it's impossible to know from their records because it is illegal to reveal how many criminal incidents involve permit holders. Indeed, Wisconsin's concealed carry law, 2011's Act 35, explicitly prohibits law enforcement agencies from sorting their records by whether anyone involved had a permit.

Are you ready for the lamest excuse ever? You’d think with all the groups nationwide and the time they had to think about it, they could have come up with something? Take note of “on our members.”

Nik Clark, president of gun rights advocacy group Wisconsin Carry Inc., defends that practice (no data). "It's not going to be in the proper context," Clark said. "There's no need to expose and collect aggregate data on our members."

Members? Anyone can get a concealed carry permit, there’s no “club” or membership that I know of, and not everyone believes collecting data is a problem.

But Clark, a control freak, thinks he speaks for all his “members.” 

Here's a chart:

It looks like Concealed Carry is Killing Us.

Are we safer since concealed carry? We're supposed to be, according to Scott Walker. 

If the following graph took a look at how effective ObamaCare was at decreasing the number of people without insurance, it would be rightfully called a major disaster. But the increase below shows how many more people were killed by guns, not saved by them. Thanks to Political Heat for pointing out the gun death trend lines since concealed carry: 

The number of murders in the state related to gun deaths also reflects this conclusion. Estimates from 2014 (from Wisconsin Public Radio, which has been tracking gun homicides from media reports over the year) suggest that this current year is also going to be high in terms of the number of murders committed, especially when looking at gun homicides alone. These increases in murders and violent crime should cause concerns for the governor and state legislators. The stats are contradictory to the statement that Walker made when he signed the concealed carry bill into law -- that “we are making Wisconsin safer.” 

Concealed Carry License Holder drops gun, surprises shoppers.

Cognitive Dissedence posted this warm wonderful Christmas story about another responsible/legal concealed gun owner, who bravely carried his gun into a store...what could go wrong?

WISC: Police said they arrested a Milwaukee man after his loaded handgun fell from his pocket and discharged inside a clothing store in Racine.

Officers said the man and a woman were shopping at Burlington Coat Factory Saturday when the gunshot struck a metal fixture in the store. No one was hurt. Authorities say the man picked up his gun and both left the store.

The man and woman saw surveillance video of the incident posted online and went to the Racine Police Department Sunday. The woman was released. The man was arrested for recklessly endangering safety. Police said the man has a valid concealed carry permit.

The Slippery Slope of Ridiculous Gun Laws!

Perhaps we should talk more about one of Scott Walker’s more irresponsible responses in office: signing Act 35, a law that allows strangers with loaded guns the right to carry in a school zone during the 2014 midterm elections.  

Pubic safety in CC's Nik Clark's hands

It seems crazy, right? In the throws of passing over-the-top special interest gun legislation, juvenile

paranoids got the "right" to carry guns around our kids. It was a defensive ideological calculation, having little to do with kids.

It’s that NRA "slippery slope" thing, where every new attempt to keep the public safe with common sense laws could result in banning all guns. So they've used the slippery slope rule against all regulation. 

Now the cowards who backed CC around schools think threatening bus riders might make society just a little more polite around them.

WSJ: Gun rights advocates are preparing a court challenge to (Madison) Metro Transit’s weapons ban on city buses, contending it violates state law.

Law abiding gun owners…are lawbreakers, big surprise: Like all conservative self-righteous individuals, they have the higher calling in life. Being a part of the majority of Americans intimidated by gun toting strangers, we don’t count, not even a little. These adolescent bullies only obey the laws they like. A voluntary legal system?  

CC Pres. Clark in Road Warrior?

CC President Nik Clark said Wisconsin Carry members probably have been carrying guns on buses anyway because they’re confident the city’s policy is unenforceable, or not doing so because they want to avoid trouble.

Economic threat to targets: CC groups are hoping that just the cost of litigation alone will help them win the “right” to carry anywhere. Remember, conservatives are the ones pushing tort reform so litigation costs don’t bankrupt targeted victims, except when works for them. And they're not shy about saying so:

In a letter dated Nov. 19, Clark asked Metro to review policy to comply with state law and “avoid impending civil litigation,” Clark said. “It’s our hope to avoid litigation. It’s likely to be more costly for the city than it is for us.”

CC is attempting to take our Rights Away: CC owners won't be happy until other people lose the right to choose their own safety measures:

The city’s position is consistent with a state Department of Justice memo from July 2013, which says private and public entities may restrict transport of weapons, May said, noting language covers private cab and bus companies.

Where is it normal to trust armed strangers?

Concealed Gun Owners Need their "Leaders" like a Baby Needs their Pacifier. Crazy Sheriff Clarke is a Lifesaver.

I saw this story at Cognitive Dissedence and checked out the Journal Sentinel story for myself. It’s just more craziness from Sheriff David Clarke and his loyal gun toting toadies.

For a party that likes to think of themselves and rugged individuals, exercising their freedoms and liberties, they sure need their designated “leader” for guidance and protection. 

The US Concealed Carry Association must think we’re all pretty stupid if they think we don’t see what they’re trying to do; they want Sheriff Clarke to use taxpayer money to put out campaign ads disguised as public service announcements so this wacky law(less)man gets reelected.

These brave courageous armed American thugs actually said this about the county supervisors attempts to ban taxpayer spending on what are essentially campaign media ads for Clarke, because if would…:

"...prevent Sheriff Clarke from making these lifesaving announcements."

"Lifesaving?" Without Clarke’s help, these guys would be helpless or dead apparently. They need their “leaders” like a baby needs a pacifier. 

The calls and emails have been pouring in … an appeal by the United States Concealed Carry Association on behalf of Clarke … opposing legislation that would "prevent Sheriff Clarke from making these lifesaving announcements. Basically, he is a hero who shares our ideals and principles."

(Supervisors Jim "Luigi" Schmitt, Peggy Romo West) said nearly all the contacts came from out of state. West said they'd probably have no influence on how she'll ultimately vote on the issue. Schmitt, Jursik and Bowen voted in favor of the ban during a June committee meeting. West was not present for that vote.

Out of state? Hey, weren’t all the Madison protesters from out of state and therefore not a real reflection of public sentiment for Act 10? Well, the tables have turned…

Concealed Carry Owners Shoot it Out all over City. We're now safer with new law?

My conservative friend called me and told me how mad he was two concealed carry owners had a very public shootout. He said it makes them all look bad.

I told him it’s not just the dangerous shootout, but the now casual way people are using weapons, and the ease at which they think they can do this kind of stuff. We've opened a Pandora’s Box.

With “stand your ground” laws that make it justifiable for a fun toting aggressor to shoot their victim because that victim decide to fight back (Travon Martin), no one is safe anymore from a supposedly perfectly legal and “responsible” gun owner. Right now, we’re all sitting ducks.

jsonline: Two Milwaukee men — each with a state permit to carry a concealed weapon — traded dozens of shots in a rolling shootout through two sides of town and down a freeway, the kind of scenario concealed-carry opponents feared would turn road rage incidents deadly.

Eric Adamany, 27 (one of the shooters) estimated people in the other vehicle fired 50 to 100 rounds at his car.

The gunfight is bound to spark more debate over concealed carry.

Pointing out the new mindset we’re seeing with gun violence:

Mayor Tom Barrett said "This has always been one of my concerns (with the concealed-carry law) — that things like road rage could turn out like the wild, wild West," he said. "Here we are."

But hey, actual concealed carry owners would never do that, unless of course only the irresponsible ones do it. That's what gun nut Nik Clark says:

Nik Clark, president of Wisconsin Carry Inc., a gun rights advocacy group, said both Adamany and Scott's actions fell well outside of any kind of responsible gun owner training.

Ya think:

But he also said their irresponsible gun use is outweighed by at least five instances … "The fact that we now have a single instance where a CCL holder may have broken the law (and will certainly lose their right to carry as a result) doesn't change the reality that concealed carry works," Clark said.

Oh but carry doesn't work. Unless of course, losers like Nik Clark continue to downplay the significance of this development with contradictory excuses and lies. It wasn't the only case:

In another recent case, a concealed-carry license holder was charged in a shooting … the two men got into a fight after visiting taverns together … told police he fired when he feared Banks was about to attack him again.

Irresponsible Concealed Carry Owners sue J.B. Van Hollen, say Gun Class size of 50 too small.

Nothing could be more ironic than gun crazy adolescent men suing the pro-gun Republican state justice department, for firearm training classes. They call it overreach, but really, they just don't want to become responsible adults. Simply put, gun classes don't prevent Americans from owning guns, so it's not a Second Amendment issue. But the party who can't stop whining about frivolous lawsuits and jackpot justice, are not ruled by the standards they set for everybody else.

Even more ironic? The lawsuit is taking place in the activist conservative Waukesha courts. Take that Republicans:

jsonline: A gun rights advocacy group has sued Wisconsin's attorney general over recently adopted rules related to concealed carry permits. The suit, filed in Waukesha County Circuit Court, claims that J.B. Van Hollen's Department of Justice has overreached in establishing the rules for administering the concealed carry permitting process, and seeks an injunction barring their enforcement.

Get that, they don't want any gun classes, even though the legislature passed the concealed carry law based on some gun training. Do they also know their fine Republican legislators are trying to prevent injunctions from barring laws from taking affect? Probably not.

You'll laugh at what I assume is their "legal" reason Wisconsin Carry is giving for their lawsuit:

Nik Clark, chairman of Wisconsin Carry Inc., said the permanent rules that took effect June 1 fly in the face of Act 35, the law that made concealed carry of weapons legal in the state. Clark said the law specifically said the DOJ, which administers the permit process, shouldn't "go crazy" with rules. 

Did the law specifically include the words "go crazy?" Really, that's their reason?

Now just imagine an auditorium filled with 250 first time gun owners filled with lots of questions and needing personal handgun instruction:

Chief among the new rules that offends Wisconsin Carry, he said, is one that sets a maximum student-to-instructor ratio in required classes at 50 to 1.  Clark said many firearms safety instruction classes can be presented very effectively to as many as four or five times as many students in the right venue. "We think the instructor lobby is behind this," Clark said,

The "instructor lobby." They have one already. And of course no discussion about guns would be complete without mentioning the "slippery slope" theory that this will lead to more regulation. The fact is, it's been a slippery slope away from any regulation. That's the joke.

"If this DOJ under this administration is going this far, there's no reason to think a different DOJ under another administration wouldn't go further, like requiring passage of some kind of test," he said.

I'm hoping that happens, and that gun owners get treated for Peter Pan Syndrome, leaving Neverland once and for all.

Tyrannical Walker surrounded by Kids Signing Gun Carry Law at indoor Waterpark.

You never saw these headlines:

"Walker the Tyrant."

"Scott Walker using children like Hitler and Stalin, outrageous!!!" 

These were the kinds of criticisms Obama got when he proposed new gun regulations. But when Gov. Scott Walker signed into law regulations allowing concealed carry, not one conservative complained. No comparisons to Hitler. No power grabs...etc. Here's my blog post from way back in July 9, 2011:

Tyrant with Kids!!!!

Nothing safer for kids than a nicely concealed loaded gun in the possession of a total stranger at a family water park.

It was either an attempted "in your face" slap at Wisconsinites who are opposed to guns, or a total lapse of judgement to see Gov. Scott Walker sign the concealed carry law at a family water park/hotel. It was both. Walker really is out of his friggin' mind.

Even more jaw droppingly bizarre was the decision to flank Walker with kids. Kids? Walker even shook the hand of one of them. 

Keep in mind, the children in the photo with Walker did not write letters to Scotty begging for concealed carry, so their neighborhoods and school could be safer, like the kids surrounding Obama at his recent press conference. Guns and kids, nothing safer. And no screams of outrage doing this at an indoor water park. Here's Milwaukee's Fox 6 coverage:

Concealed Carry Owner thinks he's exempt from the Law!

Guess the immature, mentally 14 year old concealed carry owners don't think they need to "read the instructions" when it comes to their empty life altering concealed carry law. Channel3000:

Madison police said a man who was arrested by officers after pulling a gun on another man claimed his arrest was illegal because he held a concealed carry permit issued by the state of Wisconsin.