Concealed Carry

Dale Romback
On November 1st, the new concealed carry law went into effect. This law has caused quite the stir throughout its entire existence. Now that it has gone into effect, it is causing many to have mixed emotions. Should we feel safer now that it is easier for people can carry firearms? Certainly we at least hope those who carry have enough qualifications to know when and how to use it. Or should we feel less easy now? There will undoubtedly be more firearms out there and easier for them to fall into the wrong hands.
I had a discussion one night with a woman and she brought up a point that has stuck with me to this day and I have passed it along to many of people when concealed carry comes up in conversation. If someone wanted to carry a firearm before this law, they theoretically could without anyone knowing. However, now that there is this law in place, a thought may come to the mind of someone who is on the verge of doing something that they probably shouldn’t. For example, a person considering robbing a convenience store may reconsider their action. They realize that perhaps the clerk is carrying concealed, presents a threat to the robber, and discourages the robbery from ever occurring.
That same woman asked me to consider another example: a young lady is walking out to her car after getting off the late shift. A man waits to assault her and sees she is carrying a purse. He wonders what is in that purse. Is she carrying a concealed firearm? He decides that his decision to assault her is not worth possibly being injured or dying for, and moves onto another target whom he believes is not carrying concealed.
Are these specific examples enough to let people obtain a permit, when the only safety course needed is DNR hunter safety class where they do not even cover handguns allow them to carry a firearm on their person? With this, the number of guns that are circulating around our streets may climb to all time highs, thus raising the possibility of our youth getting their hands on these same guns. I have not once been in a situation where I would have been able to help resolve a situation or prevent a crime with the aid of a firearm. I would guess that no one that reads this blog has ever been in that situation either. Despite the fact that Wisconsin is the 49th state to pass this legislation, I fail to see where that argument is enough to move this forward, yet it is a primary reason given for people to not worry. Concealed carry is in my opinion a political issue and not one based on a clear public good. With the number of truly important needs that our public officials should spend time and money on, this one is being used to gather new followers and show people that the public has more rights.