Citizens can help keep concealed weapons out of public places; Here's how

Submitted by xoff on Fri, 10/14/2011 - 11:20am

Concealed carry of weapons becomes legal in Wisconsin on Nov. 1, and local governments across the state are deciding whether to allow weapons in public buildings. Most communities are saying no.

It is also a decision business owners face. The law allows them to forbid their employees from bringing guns to work, and allows them to ban weapons on their property simply by posting a sign at the entrance.

Rather than sit back and watch, Wisconsin citizens, individually or in an organized way, can help them make that decision.

Every day, as you spend money in businesses you normally patronize -- the coffee shop, hair salon, grocery store, gas station, restaurant -- ask them to post a sign keeping weapons out. The Wisconsin Anti- Violence Effort has produced some small cards you can give to businesses, asking them to post a sign and giving them some reasons it makes sense to do so. (For example, workers at businesses that allow guns are 5 to 7 times more likely to be murdered, and 80% of all businesses in the country prohibit guns.)

Tell the businesses you want your family to be able to shop in a safe environment. Don't threaten them; make it positive.

If they agree, notify WAVE, which is compiling a list of gun-free businesses so people can know where to shop safely. And sign a pledge on the WAVE website to support businesses that keep guns out.

In some communities like Stoughton and in a number of Milwaukee neighborhoods, there is a more organized effort to visit each business, ask them to ban weapons, and offer them a sign if they agree, to close the deal on the spot.

WAVE is the main contact for organizing, but the small cards and signs also are available in Madison from the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice office, 122 State St., and in Milwaukee from Veterans for Peace and Peace Action Wisconsin, 1001 E. Keefe. Cards are free, and quantity discounts are available on signs. Want some signs to offer to businesses you patronize?Email paulmilwaukeevfp [dot] org (Milwaukee Veterans for Peace) to get signs like the one displayed with this post.