guns

This morning I participated in the Journal Sentinel's live chat with Milwuakee Sheriff David Clarke and I asked him if his advice for people to get a gun and "get in the game" during armed robberies was irresponsible, because it could lead to unnecessary escalation to violence of robberies that would otherwise conclude without injury to anyone.

I specifically asked, "Should someone in line at a bank that is in the midst of a bank robbery, pull a gun on a bank robber?" 

Sheriff Clarke responded:

Jud, it depends. Again that is a decision that the person in that situation has to calculate, not me who is not there at the time

gun posterCompare and contrast:

A newspaper in the state of New York has removed from its web site an interactive online map of handgun permit holders in two counties, after the database drew nationwide anger and prompted threats against its staff.

Meanwhile, the Gannett Newspapers chain of dailies in Wisconsin is pushing ahead with its project to publish online the names and salaries of most local, state and federal employees in the state.

The two key paragraphs in the mountain of Journal Sentinel coverage of the Brookfield spa slayings:

"Last week, Zina Haughton received a restraining order against her husband. On Saturday, Radcliffe Haughton purchased the .40-caliber handgun he would use to shoot seven women, killing three Azana workers, including his wife.

“The Second Amendment is an amendment for all mankind.--   Newt Gingrich at NRA convention.

Would you be surprised to learn that half of the guns sold in Wisconsin involve no background check on the buyer? And that it's perfectly legal?

And we're not just talking about gun shows, which get a lot of attention as a problem. We're talking about people who sell guns across the kitchen table, through classified ads, out of the trunk of a car, or on the Internet.

Unless the sale is by a licensed gun dealer, no background check is required. It's Wisconsin's deadly version of "don't ask, don't tell."

There is a federal law that makes it a felony to knowingly sell a gun to someone the seller believes to be prohibited from purchasing a gun, such as a minor, a criminal or anyone declared mentally unstable by a court.

From our friends at the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort:

Black Friday is always hectic, but this one will be different.      

       
Stores will still have shoppers scrambling over each other to snatch up the best deals. But for the first time, almost anyone will be able to carry a hidden, loaded gun.

The last thing you, or your friends and family, should be forced to worry about while browsing the aisles is your safety.

So as you kick off your holiday shopping, don’t forget the easy ways you can urge businesses to value your safety. Bring a stack of SAFE WISCONSIN cards and “no weapons allowed” signs to leave at every shop and restaurant you visit.

Get your WAVE cards and signs to pass out at the stores you visit.

From WisPolitics.com ...

-- Freshman GOP state Sen. Pam Galloway says the recall effort against her comes as little surprise and said it was fueled by out-of-state interests.

“It has only been a little over a year since I won my election,” she said. “I’m proud that the promises I made on my campaign to control taxes, promote jobs, and reduce spending are all things that I have accomplished and continue to prioritize. The legislation and initiatives I’ve been working on in Madison are producing real results.”

Galloway's main "achievement" has been passage of concealed carry legislation, to put tens of thousands of guns and other weapons on Wisconsin's streets.

Racine's Van Wanggaard, another recall target, said he planned to continue focusing on job creation...

"AB 69 [the so-called Castle Doctrine bill] changes Wisconsin law by providing a defense for irrational people armed with deadly force. Under its provisions, malevolent, reckless, or paranoid people who shoot trick-or-treaters or repairmen on their porch will be presumed to be acting in self-defense." -- Criminal law section of the State Bar of Wisconsin.

The bill passed overwhelmingly, of course.