A proposal by Milwaukee’s police chief and district attorney has reloaded the debate on carrying concealed guns in Wisconsin. Police Chief Ed Flynn and the DA John Chisholm told a Common Council panel they’d support concealed carry as compromise for tougher gun control laws. Currently carrying a concealed firearm is a misdemeanor but they’ve proposed making it a mandatory felony for anyone who carries without a permit.
Jim Fendry-Director of the Wisconsin Pro-Gun Movement, supports a change in law allowing concealed carry but would only favor felonies for those unlicensed carriers if they use their weapon to commit a crime.
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Fendry is skeptical of the proposals saying what ends up “in writing” may differ from what is initially discussed.
The gun rights advocate believes if Governor were on board with conceal carry it would pass as all Republicans and many Democrats support such licensing.
However the director of the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Educational Fund hopes that isn’t the case. WAVE’s Jeri Bonavia She says Wisconsinites are not in support of the conceal carry either as a Public Policy Forum poll a few years ago indicated more than 70 percent of Wisconsinites were opposed to the idea.
She says one need only look to other states that have implemented “shall issue” licensing, a policy that requires anyone who has passed a background check and safety course to be issued a conceal carry permit if requested.
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Wisconsin is one of two states that does not allow concealed carry.
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