From Mayor Paul Soglin’s blog comes common sense in these truly insane times.
It is no secret that this law is bad public policy. Citizens do not need to carry guns. However, the legislature and this Governor disagree, so we need to make sure that city employees and residents can feel safe and comfortable in city buildings. The same restrictions apply to bus shelters, transfer stations and park shelters.
As Madison residents, you too are able to post a sign at your home. Apartment and condo residents need to post for their individual units, but a building owner can post that weapons are prohibited in the common areas. Business owners are also able to post signs.
You can purchase a sign from the City Clerk’s Office, or download it from the city website at www.cityofmadison.com/police/concealedcarry.cfm . You can also find additional information on the website including Frequently Asked Questions about the new law and how Madison is affected.
CAFFEINATED POLITICS 
Thank you for the link that leads to the link: http://www.cityofmadison.com/police/documents/NoFirearmsPrint.pdf (for a sign to be used on private property). I greatly dislike posting signs on my property but my husband and I will consider making an exception for this.
Well, seeing how there is no longer any violent crime or random muggings in Madison I reckon the Mayor has a good point….
…oh, wait a minute. Nevermind.
Huh? You’re missing the point. People who apply for concealed carry permits aren’t the ones committing crimes. It’s the criminals (who won’t follow the signs anyways) who commit the crimes. Blaming public safety on concealed carry is like blaming misspelled words on pencils. Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.
Did I mention that Wisconsin is only one of 2 states that hasn’t allowed concealed carry? I’d love to see how many crimes are committed by people with concealed carry permits vs how many gunners have been taken down by others with concealed carry permits.
And anyways, even if people with concealed carry permits do commit crimes with those guns, since they are breaking the law, who is to day they wouldn’t have already carried those guns?
Glad to help, Jenny.
Steve,
The problem is, (and it is one by design), that there are too few ways to track stats with regards to concealed carry. As the Wisconsin State Journal noted last week in an editorial the nation is lax on the ability to get solid information. One of the reasons is that the NRA in state after state worked to make sure stats were not a part of the concealed carry law. This has been a long-time concern for many who feel as I do about this matter.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/opinion/editorial/article_9088066a-fc38-11e0-b486-001cc4c03286.html
Nebraska, for example, started issuing concealed handgun permits five years ago. But the state has no database or list of incidents involving people with permits, the Lincoln Journal Star reported last week. That leaves the public and policymakers with little to go on beyond anecdotal evidence, which provides only a fuzzy picture.
The Lincoln Journal Star could find only one incident over five years in which a concealed gun prevented a crime in Nebraska. An Omaha man shot and killed an armed would-be robber at a drug store in 2010, according to the newspaper.
But there’s a catch. The Omaha man didn’t have a permit to carry a concealed handgun.
At the same time, the Lincoln newspaper could not find in the state’s online court record system any case in which a concealed handgun permit was revoked. The newspaper reported that the number of active permits was 15,432, while 189 applications for permits were denied.
A Lincoln police chief told the newspaper he thinks “a fair number of people” feel more nervous than safe if they notice a partially concealed handgun on someone near them in public.
Wisconsin should do a better job of gauging how its new law plays out. Gun owners understandably have privacy concerns. Yet the number of permits, violations, revocations and incidents involving concealed weapons should be readily available to better inform state decisions that come after Nov. 1.
It isn’t about a “need”. It’s about a right enshrined at the very beginning of this nation.
I have been consistent in my comments here at CP about this right and will not go into it now. I will comment that if people felt the same way as you except about the freedom to practice our religion, to peacefully assemble, and to speak out politically that we would have an oppressive society in no time.
Bad people will find ways to take things from you. If there are no weapons, they will do it with impunity.
I politely point out that posted ‘anti-weapon’ signs will be an invitation to criminals that they should not fear being shot when taking things of yours from you. If you value the lives of your family (or value your property) please do not advertise that you are not defending yourself or your property with reasonable force. (Unless, of course, that you intend to be fully armed while not permitting others to do the same.)
Mr. Garcia: Your parents never used the line “If all your friends decided to jump off a bridge (whatever example), would you leap in after them? NOT an acceptable excuse for Wisconsin to take any action! I was proud that we were one of 2 states with the common sense (& politicians) to spurn attempts to force concealed carry on us- at least until now.
I.E. “The people who apply for concealed carry aren’t the ones committing the crimes.” Can you confirm that statement with data? Many advocates of CC appear insecure in surroundings many of us DO feel safe in. Some males seem to view it as an expression of their “manhood”, and many more will rely on a weapon because they lack the ability to deal with or walk away from stupid insults, inflammatory comments, etc., especially when liquor is involved.
If you want to carry a gun, I suggest psychological testing BEFORE any training, just like if you want to be a police officer. & carry a weapon.
Mr. Lehner: There will be several signs displayed on my property (in Madison), and posted at my doors. Why? Because I don’t live with the fears that seem to color your worlds- until concealed carry, I don’t deal/take drugs, belong to a gang, frequent areas I may be at risk, especially at night, and limit my alcohol intake in public so that I can stay aware of my surroundings. Sure, there are random muggings & violent crime in Madison, but in my 40 years of living here, I have yet to be a crime victim, even though my job requires that I walk to & from my car in public parking lots very late at night, and in very early morning hours.
If you pay attention, most of that violent crime is perpetrated by someone involved in one of the risky activities mentioned above, against someone who is also involved.
Muggings ARE more random, but what good is a gun if you’re approached from behind?
You talk about rights “enshrined” in the early years of our nation, Mr. Lerner?
I’m SUPPOSED to have the right to NOT have other people’s religious beliefs forced on me by law, I’m SUPPOSED to have the right to elect whom I choose without manipulation of the election process, I SHOULD have the right to peaceful assembly anywhere in the U.S., but that appears to be a fallacy in many cities (Madison excepted), too. I’m SUPPOSED to be able to count on legislators to vote according to the wishes of their constituents & their consciences WITHOUT the NRA’s fingers in the pie, but that’s not happening, either, or we wouldn’t have a concealed carry law.
I suggest that every time a “concealed carry” weapon is used to harm or kill an innocent person, Dr. Galloway (R-Wausau), the original author of this bill, the owner of the weapon used, and those who voted concealed carry into law be charged with being accessories to murder.
Now that’s justice!
Ms. Keel
I suppose that other people in the world should have had your good fortune to never be a victim; however, the facts speak otherwise. It is presumptuous of you to deny others the right to defend themselves because you personally have never been a victim.
I am pleased that you recognize that other rights enumerated in the Constitution are not honored in law or in fact, at times. It befuddles me though why you adopt the stance to dishonor a similar right to bear arms. Choosing which rights to respect and which not to respect is fine for kitchen table discussions but in matters of law there should be different standards (although it is not often the case).
Finally, I hope that your good fortune continues and that you never learn through experience why people should have a right to bear arms.
Texas Dept of Public Safety CCW conviction rates