Concealed weapons may be allowed in Wisconsin state House

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.suntimes.com/news/nation/8455326-418/concealed-weapons-may-be-allowed-in-wisconsin-state-house.html

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS October 27, 2011 5:04PM

MADISON, Wis. — Assembly Republicans plan to allow concealed weapons on the chamber’s floor, in overhead galleries and in the body’s committee meetings.

Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, a Horicon Republican, said Thursday individual representatives will be allowed to decide whether to allow weapons in their offices.

[haikugal]

1. I'm sorry but I have visions of someone like Bachman shooting some

poor woman in the bathroom for looking at her wrong.

[yourout]

2. What a hideously bad idea.

the Fitzgeralds are a blight on my state.

[Township75]

3. Why shouldn't someone who passed the background checks and met the requirements for a CCW be allowed

to do this? I'm all for it. Afterall, if they can do it in any other public place, or private place where not forbidden by the owner, why shouldn't our politicians be treated the same as the rest of us?

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[DisgustipatedinCA]

9. It shouldn't be allowed because it's intimidating

If you hadn't noticed, political arguments can get heated. Heated + gun nut = bad idea.

[Pigheaded]

10. Concealed means concealed

So you would not even know.

PH

[DisgustipatedinCA]

13. Yes. Therefore, you would have to assume your political opponents are armed

This is the intimidation I spoke of, and it's a horrible idea on its face. You know, there really are some places on the surface of the planet where guns shouldn't be allowed. This is one of them, and to claim otherwise exceeds advocacy and starts to sound like zealotry.

[Township75]

14. Few things.

1) I wish I had the chance to read the previously deleted posts. I love reading venom!!!

2) Intimidating? Well, it should be concealed otherwise the gun holder can be arrested. Additionally, the GA has police officers working in it. And political arguments can happen anywhere, not just at the GA, so are you supposed to avoid them bc someone may be carrying? I don't, do you?

[DisgustipatedinCA]

16. I think #13 covers most of my response

I would add that the state house, in general and hopeful terms, should be a place of contemplation and deliberation. Surely you can see that the thought of an angry republican gun nut of a legislator in the same committee meeting you're attending is one that could be potentially intimidating, and it should be forbidden. This is not to say that the Democratic legislators of the house would run scared, but they'd be subject to that intimidation from time to time. It makes the playing field less even, and it's fetishist in its conception.

[Township75]

15. SHIT! Why did I have to miss the hate posts :(

What did it say?!?!? Please repost or PM me!!!

[Scuba]

5. Yes, but if you carry a cardboard sign, they arrest you!

[TheCowsCameHome]

6. Now everyone will be safer in that crime-riddled building . So there.

:sarcasm:

[EC]

8. Does this apply to the citizens that come to redress

their government or the gallery?

[annabanana]

11. What could possibly go wrong?

(my head hurts)

[Enrique]

12. as long as they don't let the Supreme Court judges carry

:scared:

[metalbot]

17. There was an interesting twist on this in Texas

About two years ago, metal detectors were installed in the Texas capital building. The point was immediately raised that "well, Texas Concealed Handgun licensees are prohibited from a very specific list of places (schools, bars, sporting events). What about when they visit the capital building?". The result was that they installed two sets of lines - one for CHL licensees, who simply had to show their CHL to pass through, the other for "everyone else" who had to go through the security check. The result of this was actually a run on CHL classes in the Austin area for lobbyists who wanted to be able to bypass the lines by flashing a CHL on their way in to the capital building.

Personally, I'm fully supportive of allowing CHL holders to carry in government offices. There's no intimidation factor involved here, since you have no idea who is armed. The notion that someone who is a CHL holder is somehow going to turn violent as a result of this legislative change is silly. If you're mad enough to kill someone over a piece of legislation, the fact that carrying in the capital building is illegal isn't going to stop you. There's substantial evidence that CHL holders are more law abiding than the average citizen, and since you can't tell that they are armed, there's no argument that they are somehow more intimidating.