70,000 Approved

It seems that the DOJ is catching up with demand.

WAUSAU (WAOW)—The Wisconsin Department of Justice has been swamped with requests for concealed carry permits. Since the law went into effect in November, the DOJ reports it received over 80-thousand permit requests and approved nearly 70,000.

Kramer Carries

I would do the same thing.

Bill Kramer of Waukesha is speaker pro tem of the Assembly. He controls debate and can order spectators out of the chamber.

He says he obtained a permit to carry a concealed weapon in November and has at times carried a Glock 26 on the Assembly floor.

He says he feels he needs the weapon given the toxic atmosphere at the state Capitol. Bands of protesters still angry over Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s contentious collective bargaining law have spent the past year harassing GOP legislators.

Although… I’m not a huge fan of Glocks.

Concealed Carry Compromise

I know that y’all never thought I’d do this, but… I’ve compromised on concealed carry.  Twice.

First, I’ve settled on carrying my 1911 in readiness condition 3 instead of the favored condition 1. In know… I know… It requires the Israeli Draw and my primary carry weapon has two safties, but I just prefer to keep a round out of the chamber.

Second, I experimented with a holster that carries an extra magazine and have settled on a simpler model without the extra magazine. The one with the extra magazine is fine for OWB, but it’s just a bit too bulky for IWB. So if I ever need to use my weapon, I probably won’t be able to reload. That’s why I’ll just have to practice more to make sure I don’t need that many shots.

Life is full of compromises.

Concealed Carry Works

As far as I know, this is the first reported incident of a CCW holder thwarting crime in Wisconsin. True, many situations go unreported, but this is the first reported one.

It was just after 7 p.m. Monday when two men stormed into the Aldi at 76th Street and Villard Avenue. Police said at least one of them was waving a shotgun, despite the presence of two unarmed security guards.
Still, they couldn’t have counted on a customer legally carrying a concealed handgun, who opened fire on them.

Milwaukee police responded to the report of an armed robbery and shooting, only it turned out the shooter wasn’t one of the robbers.

One of the suspects, a 20-year-old man, was shot and is being treated at an area hospital. He and the other suspect are in police custody. Police believe they’re linked to a string of similar robberies.

Overwhelming Demand for Concealed Carry

I must admit. There is more demand for this than I anticipated.

As of Dec. 28, DOJ had received 64,832 applications, issued 36,373 permits and denied 800, mostly because addresses applicants submitted didn’t match their addresses in state Department of Transportation records, DOJ spokeswoman Dana Brueck said.

That means that over

10%

1% of Wisconsin’s citizens have applied to carry a concealed weapon. And I know of many people who intend to apply but need to take a training class first. Wow.

Women and Guns

Awesome.

Female participation in target shooting in the U.S. has nearly doubled in the last decade, growing to nearly five million women since 2001.

Pistol-shooting mommas and rifle-wielding yoga instructors may not be the type of woman who comes to mind when you hear about female shooters, but they’re dominating the sport.

They say they shoot not only for self-protection, but because it relieves stress, helps them find peace and concentration and - feel feminine.

For instance, Deirdre Gailey, who says, “I’m a yoga instructor, I work at a vegan bakery—and I also like to shoot guns.”

Aren’t guns and shooting the opposite of yoga’s Zen experience?

“Yoga’s Zen-like quality can be applied to shooting guns in a lot of ways,’ says Gailey. “Shooting guns takes focus, concentration, and it doesn’t always have to be about violence.”

“(When I cook),” Gailey added, “I use a chef’s knife. You have respect for a knife as a tool that you use in your craft. And I think guns can be used in the same way.”

Washington County Allows Workers to Carry Concealed

Excellent!

Madison Settles

Good.

A group of men who drew police attention for openly carrying guns at a Far East Side restaurant last year on Tuesday accepted a $10,000 offer from the city of Madison to settle their federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and a group of police officers.

The five men, members of Wisconsin Carry Inc., were ticketed for disorderly conduct on Sept. 18, 2010, after police were called to Culver’s, 4301 East Towne Blvd., about a group of men with guns at an outdoor table. The tickets were later dismissed.

It’s just a shame that the police have to be prodded into respecting the 2nd Amendment.

Concealed Carry Allowed at Some Kindergartens

I’m not sure that this is even necessary.

The new law makes it illegal to carry a concealed weapon in and around schools. But an older law that generally prohibits people from knowingly possessing a firearm in or on school grounds defines a school as a facility that serves grades 1 through 12. The definition does not include stand-alone kindergartens like the Baraboo center that are not part of a larger school.

Baraboo School District Administrator Crystal Ritzenthaler has asked Rep. Fred Clark, D-Baraboo, for help closing the legal glitch.

It’s unclear how many kindergartens may be affected by the loophole, but Clark and his staff have identified 16 facilities so far. “And we’re only about halfway through the list,” Clark said, adding that the exclusion of kindergartens from the gun-free school zone law was likely unintentional.

I believe that local school districts can ban guns as a matter of policy if they want. Why is there a need to pass a law about it?

Prepared for Zombie Apocalypse

From the email.

I made a traffic stop on an elderly lady the other day for speeding

on U.S. 166 Eastbound at Mile Marker 73  just East of Sedan , KS .

I asked for her driver’s license, registration, and  proof of insurance.

The  lady took out the required information and handed it to me.

In with the cards I was somewhat surprised (due to her advanced age)

to see she had a conceal carry permit. I looked at her and ask  if

she had a weapon in her possession at this time.

 

She responded that she indeed had a .45  automatic in her glove  box.

Something—-body  language, or the way she said it—-made me want

to ask if she had any other firearms. She did admit to also having

a  9mm Glock in her center console. Now I had to ask one more

time if that was all. She responded once again that she did have

just one more, a .38 special in her purse. I then asked her what

was she so afraid of.

 

She looked me right in the eye and said, “Not a f***ing thing!”

Getting it Backwards

One of West Bend’s favorite lefty gadflies lacks an understanding of liberty.

    The only logical rationale for concealed carry is to allow citizens to prevent crime. It makes sense to examine the amount and types of criminal activity in governmental facilities when deciding to allow armed citizens inside.

Um… No. The right to keep and bear arms is a natural right enshrined in both our state and federal constitutions. As such, Finke has this exactly backwards. It’s not up for him or our government to look at criminal activity and decide whether or not people should be allowed to exercise their right. In fact, people are at liberty to exercise their right for whatever reason they please unless the government can make an argument for the reasonable restriction of that right.

Imagine, if you will, applying the same standard to Finke and his friends who have been exercising their 1st Amendment rights to protest Governor Walker. “The only logical rationale for free speech is to allow citizens to protest injustice. It makes sense to examine the amount and types of injustice in government facilities when deciding to allow citizens to speak freely.” Somehow I don’t think Finke would tolerate such an infringement on his rights.

Open Carry Banned In State Buildings

This does seem like an odd policy.

Madison - Gov. Scott Walker’s administration is barring openly carrying guns into state buildings, even for people with valid concealed carry permits

Permit Received

I received my concealed carry permit today. I put it in the mail on 11/1, so not a bad turnaround.

Dead Man Lobbying

Nice catch by Bitter.

Did you know that Freeland Borough, PA’s Mayor Tim Martin died from esophageal cancer on September 2, 2010? Yet, amazingly, Mike Bloomberg’s anti-gun coalition still claims him as a member on their website as of November 8, 2011.

In fact, not only do they claim him as a member, but the deceased mayor has signed his name to at least two advertisements, three letters to Congress, and one letter to the President sent by Michael Bloomberg’s office. Now, just how on earth is Bloomberg getting a dead man to sign his letters? And why are media outlets running advertisements that are clearly fraudulent?

Entering without a bang

My column for the

Daily News

is online. It’s called, “Entering without a bang.”