Peggy Schulz wrote a brilliant column in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel on Nov. 2nd that is worth reading.
The overall safety of the general public as we move through our lives on a daily basis is – or at least should be – the top priority for lawmakers, both local and national. We live in a fairly well-ordered society, but that order is achieved through a delicate balance of individual rights and the well-being of society as a whole.
Each of us as individuals brings to that equation of public safety our own personal needs, desires and family background. We know from experience that the delicate balance all too frequently is thrown out of whack.
Is it a good idea, for example, to add concealed weapons to the already problematic issue of road rage? When a driver snaps and loses his or her cool, how easy would it be for the driver to pull out a concealed handgun and escalate things further?
And let’s think about domestic violence situations, which threaten the very core of our society: the family unit. Is it wise to make it lawful for domestic partners who are at or near the boiling point to arm themselves while out in public, so that when they do boil over, the gun can be used with possibly deadly results?
Throw in overindulgence in alcohol, something our state lawmakers address almost every legislative session, and the mix of concealed weapons, human emotions and intoxication becomes a certain disaster.
Because, let’s face it, handguns are intended for one thing and one thing only: to wound and kill people.
Milwaukee’s police chief and county district attorney have suggested we, in effect, dangle a concealed-carry law for Wisconsin over the heads of the NRA in order to get it to support a law requiring criminal background checks for all gun purchases, not just those at federally licensed gun stores.
The background check law is a no-brainer. And we shouldn’t have to lower our standards on concealed carry to get the too-powerful NRA to support closing a loophole that never should have been left open in the first place.
We live in an increasingly complex, often anxious world of the 21st century, one the founders never could have envisioned. To add concealed weapons to the already tenuous balance of public safety in Wisconsin would be a huge mistake.
Peggy Schulz of Milwaukee is a freelance writer and a single, bus-riding renter. E-mail pswrites@wi.rr.com
