Debate Magazine
Wisconsin Watch
In early August, amid a wave of carnage in Milwaukee, something remarkable occurred: A Republican state lawmaker called for new legislation to address gun violence, and Republican Gov. Scott Walker said the measure, sought by Milwaukee’s mayor and chief of police, had his support.
“I’m more than willing to talk with law enforcement here or anywhere else about creating mandatory minimum sentences for people who illegally possess a firearm,” Walker said, so long as the rights of others are not curtailed. “I’m all for that.”
At issue is a bill now being drafted for state Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, to mandate a three-year prison term for illegal firearm possession. Darling said she acted after talking with law enforcement officials in Milwaukee, where 23 people were shot, seven fatally, during a single week in early August.
Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn “couldn’t be more pleased with the apparent bipartisan support” for tougher gun-related penalties, says chief of staff Joel Plant. Flynn wants tougher rules for habitual criminals who carry weapons or commit gun crimes. A habitual criminal, by state statute, is anyone with one prior felony or three misdemeanor convictions within the past five years.
Plant says this will mean amending the state’s concealed carry law to bar persons who meet this test from obtaining a license to pack heat. Currently, most kinds of misdemeanor convictions cannot be used to deny a concealed carry license.
In fact, even if the change Barrett and Flynn want is adopted, a person with two misdemeanor convictions for carrying a concealed gun without a license could still obtain one on request.
Imagine that having two or three misdemeanor convictions DOES NOT prevent one from getting a concealed carry permit. And the gun-rights fanatics wonder why we're skeptical about the supposed safety record of permit holders.
Wisconsin seems to be on track to make some improvements.
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