Editorial Fisk

Kicked up this turd when cruising the anti-gun spots. So let’s have a look.

First before we start let’s drop a little scare tactic here. Manufacturing a problem. Say somebody says “We need to ban violent video games” or “We need to ban toys that look like real guns”. Interesting proposals I can see why somebody might want to ban these things. What you can’t see is a problem. Sure you find find that gang members and school shooters all play violent video games. Only problem with that is EVERYBODY plays violent video games. You’d find the same correlation with sneakers, or with T-Shirts with corporate logos…or having Hemoglobin in the blood. Just because a common connection can be found doesn’t actually make it so, and certainly the number of people who DO play violent video games and DON’T commit horrible acts is vastly greater than those who do. Same with realistic toy guns. When I was a kid they still used to sell squirt guns and BB guns that looked like real guns. I had a really nifty squirt gun that was all matte-black and looked a lot like a Tec-9. We used to hear people saying in the school yard, in the classrooms, and from our parents that we needed to be careful with our toys because if the cops saw us with them they’d mistake them for real guns and shoot us. Seems everybody had heard a story about a kid who was playing and got shot by the police. Even the movie Die Hard make reference to a cop shooting a young boy with a toy gun.

Yet seems as a news junkie and a gun nut, I haven’t actually read a story of kids playing with toy guns getting shot by the cops. I’ve read LOTS of stories of gang-bangers attempting to pass off toys as REAL guns for robberies and hold-ups. Those guys get shot, but that’s hardly a problem is it?

This editorial is against Wisconsin Conceal carry (and it appears Wisconsin might go directly from banning Conceal Carry *open carry is legal there and no permit needed* to allowing it without any permitting system), and the big thing that isn’t mentioned is where the conceal carry problem is. So let’s get that out of the way. Most states allow conceal carry. Wisconsin, as well as many other states allows open carry without a permit. 4 States allow conceal carry without a permit at all. None of these states really have any great peril to show for it. So on its face this is a manufactured problem. Now let’s look at the other issues with this editorial.

Why do the leaders of our state insist on making it more difficult to vote while making it easier to carry a weapon?

Well they forget that to carry a weapon you must first ACQUIRE said weapon. Of course Wisconsin isn’t a state that’s banned private sale, still as a rule even in private sale you’d need to know the seller, or have to present ID to prove no federal crimes are being committed. If you buy a gun through an FFL you need to fill out paperwork and undergo a background check. Takes me about an hour to buy a gun from the moment I say “I’ll take it” to when I walk out the door. I can vote in about 15 mins, even with a line. So much for that argument. NEXT!

At a time when our state leaders are intent on cutting personnel costs to reduce the deficit and reduce taxpayer expense, why is the concealed-carry law so important that it requires the hiring of an estimated 13 full-time equivalent staff positions? Oh, and that’s just a fraction of the cost of passing the legislation, according to Department of Justice estimates.

Ummm maybe because you’re one of two states that ban conceal carry. How about this for a spin…how much do you think the city of Washington DC, or Chicago paid to fight the Heller or McDonald Lawsuits? I think its a wise investment to correct your constitutional errors….

If carrying a concealed weapon into a state facility is a bad idea for safety reasons, why shouldn’t concealed weapons be prohibited from all workplaces in Wisconsin?

That’s a good question. IS it a bad idea for safety reasons? Most states DO allow carry in state facilities. No security problems I’ve seen. I’ll go out on a limb as say that safety concern is also made-up.

We have long questioned the wisdom of making it easier to carry a concealed weapon in a state that has a drinking problem. It is even more puzzling when you consider that some states that have more lenient gun laws have higher crime rates and higher incidences of gun violence.

Wisconsin has a “drinking problem”? Like the whole state? I certainly think this editorial was written by somebody who was squinting to see straight, but really? Are you proposing prohibition? And states that have more lenient gun laws have higher crime rates? Bullshit! Sorry, lying doesn’t make it so!

Hunting is one thing — something that is important to the state’s heritage, culture, wildlife management and tourism.

Its also not exactly relevant to this discussion. I’ll note that George Washington didn’t cross the Delaware to get to his duck blind. I will also point out that hunting is a game meant to be sporting. There are legally imposed restrictions to keep people from over harvesting the game stock and to use good sport. This is because people hunt FOR FUN. If you don’t see a deer when you go out to your stand you’ll still eat that night. I do know that there are poor people in rural areas that DO hunt for their primary food source. Guess what they don’t follow the hunting rules, because they are technically poaching.

If I, or my friends and family are in grave danger I won’t be playing fair, I’ll be stopping the treat as quickly and as ruthlessly as possible. There is no sport, and unlike the deer hunter, who is disappointed if they don’t bag a bambi, I hope I NEVER have to shoot anybody in self defense.

Under at least one of the proposals, someone convicted of a violent misdemeanor — stalking and battery, for instance — could carry a concealed weapon.

Well if they have a protection order or that battery charge was against a domestic partner, then they can’t legally own GUNS in total. Maybe you missed the part about federal law trumping local law. So while they may not be barred from carrying specifically, if they ARE carrying they’re committing a federal felony…which if convicted means they’ll never own a gun ever again, and never carry again.

If democracy is at the forefront of the argument for concealed carry, how does that square with making it more difficult for people to vote in a state that has virtually no voter fraud, according to the nonpartisan Government Accountability Board?

Huh? Who is making this argument? Also what does this have to do with anything? I’m throwing a straw man flag on this play!

The rest of the rant is about budget concerns. That I won’t delve into. Here in Massachusetts there are millions of dollars wasted every year on bureaucratic nonsense. I’m sure some fat can be trimmed so that this department can be created. And who says this department needs to be created? I mean Wisconsin has permitless open carry, so why not just lift the prohibition on conceal carry and get on with your lives?

Needless to say there isn’t much of an argument to be found. Hopefully Wisconsin will do the right thing and join the rest of America.