Click here to join WGO - Wisconsin's only no-compromise gun rights organization

Support Wisconsin Concealed Carry

| September 22, 2010 | 5 Comments

Support Concealed Carry. Sign the Online Petition. Click Here

Click Here to Sign the Concealed Carry Petition

A Personal Note from Our Executive Director

Dear Friend of Gun Rights,

Do you want to be able to legally carry a concealed handgun for self-defense in Wisconsin?

If so, that’s exactly what we’re going to pass this upcoming legislative session, with your help.

It isn’t a matter of “if” but “when” — and whether the legislation is driven by members of Wisconsin Gun Owners (WGO) who insist on a no-compromise position and a clean bill … or mislead by the anti-gunners and loaded down with gun control “concessions.”

As I write this letter, we have leaders who have committed to introduce our Constitutional Carry legislation, which will finally restore your right to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense in Wisconsin.

But if you think this battle will be an easy one, I’m here to tell you that we’re in for the political fight of our lives. That’s why we need your help.

You see, we’ve been disarmed for a long time in Wisconsin. And I’m afraid we can’t count on anyone else to swoop in and change things for us. No, you and I need to do all the heavy lifting in the fight to restore the right to bear arms.

Now, we have a plan to get two concealed carry bills introduced, co-sponsored, and moved through the Wisconsin legislature.

But we first need to back up. The only chance we have to pull this off is if your WGO membership is active. This is critical because, when the WGO staff talks to law makers, they will demand to know how many members we have.

I’d like to be able to tell them you’re on board, and thousands of other gun owners from your district.

Like I said, we’ve got our sights set on two forms of concealed carry for Wisconsin. So let me put the brakes on and explain what I mean.

We won’t settle for the crumbs politicians like to throw at gun groups, usually in the form of a bill requiring the permit holder to be registered in a criminal database.

Treating gun owners like criminals is not acceptable. Registration lists of gun owners are always dangerous, and should never be championed by any gun lobby claiming to take individual freedom seriously.

That’s why I’m proposing we push for Constitutional Carry — modeled after Vermont’s and Alaska’s laws … which means there’s no permit, no database, no fees, no fingerprinting, no criminal treatment of gun owners who wish to exercise their inalienable right to carry a gun.

But that’s not all. In addition to Constitutional Carry, we can push for an optional permit-based Shall-issue system, so if you want to travel armed to other states with permit-only carry, you have that option, or “reciprocity,” if you want to get a permit to carry.

By introducing two forms of concealed carry — a clean permit system for those who want reciprocity with other permit-to-carry states, and a no-permit system here at the state level — we can restore our gun rights and truly gain a “step in the right direction.”

The most important thing to do right now is take action. If you agree that we must push for restoration of our right to bear arms without infringement on two fronts, please JOIN WGO immediately.

I need to know if I can count on your support in this fight, so your response is critical (some legislators like to claim that no one supports concealed carry, so we need to be able to quantify the grassroots support in terms even a politician can understand).

I cannot stress this enough: You absolutely must  join Wisconsin Gun Owners at the discounted membership levels of $25 for one year, $60 for three years (save $15), $100 for five years or $500 for life.

When you join WGO, you’ll get our quarterly newsletter and action alerts on concealed carry, and your support will give our staff the resources to fight for this legislation.

So, if you agree that we must end the outrageous ban on carrying concealed handguns in Wisconsin, please join now.

I’m anxiously awaiting your reply.

Very Truly Yours,

Corey Graff
Executive Director

P.S. – If you agree we must push for two forms of concealed carry in Wisconsin, JOIN WGO in this fight. It is critical that you join Wisconsin Gun Owners for one year at the $25 level, 3 years for $60 (save $15), 5 years for $100 or $500 for life. Again, your support is vital to this effort. Thanks in advance for your reply.

Tags: , ,

Category: Articles, Featured

About the Author ()

Corey Graff is the executive director of Wisconsin Gun Owners, Inc. (WGO), a pro-gun activist, and a lifelong gun owner from Wisconsin.

Comments (5)

Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed

  1. marcus says:

    I’m so glad that someone is pushing for a no compromise approach to concealed carry! Your option is the best I’ve heard so far and I’m so glad we now have a Gov in WI who will pass it. Finally this fight for our freedom will be a victory!

  2. Carl Adkins says:

    I plan to meet with a Tea Party co-op meeting. We are requesting all Tea Party groups to get behind no compromise carry. The meeting with our local Tea Party last night was 100% for and requested adding our group request at the co-op meeting. I am wondering if you Corey should be at this meeting also. If the Tea Party groups get behind conceal carry the folks in Madison will feel the pressure. All the groups are going to call, e mail, and write their representatives on the same issues. I think conceal carry is one of the issues they should consider. We want to have our attack ready long before January 1. I realize this move will not generate as much revenue for your organization but will insure we get a good law for the people of this state.

    Carl

  3. Shane says:

    Dear Fellow Wisconsite,

    Now is the time to reclaim our natural-born right to self-defense. Come January, we will have a Republican Governor and majorities in the Senate and Assembly. Let’s hope our legislators recognize these rights and pass a “Constitutional Carry” bill please follow the link to see how you can help http://www.wisconsinccw.org/

    “Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed one.”
    ~ Thomas Jefferson 1764

  4. Nik says:

    Wisconsin Carry and the United States Conceal Carry Association are both also on board with constitutional carry. They are running constitutional carry commercials on the radio right now in the Milwaukee Market:

    You can see and hear the commercial at: http://www.wisconsinccw.org

    As for a shall-issue permit system. As I’m sure most people know, if you want to carry in other states, you can already do that. A Florida or Utah CC permit allows you to carry in 30 or so states. There are dozens of instructors in this state who teach the Utah class. For Flordia, you only need your Hunter Safety certificate to get their non-resident CC permit. Given Wisconsin’s fiscal crisis, I’m not sure if Wisconsin needs to duplicate a permit-issuing bureaucracy for to carry in other states when you can right now get a FL or UT permit.

    Carry ON

  5. Jeremy says:

    Since I just moved to WI from Alaska, I’m appalled that a state which allows hunting and has such high rates of urban crime also employs such draconian gun laws. My Alaskan CCW permit is valid in 37 other states at last check. Furthermore, even states like California have permitting systems in place (although they don’t sanction many permits, they at least have one). When I stumbled across this board, I thought I could perhaps enlighten the readers a little.

    In Alaska, if you are a resident you don’t have to have a permit to carry a concealed weapon in the state. The reasons for this include many practical points, but they also include a shall-issue permitting system with reciprocal agreements for about 3/4 of the states. This means that with the Alaskan permit, I’m allowed to carry in any of the states that honor the permit, without getting a local certification.

    When applying for the CCW permit you must submit a picture (like for a passport), and your fingerprints for verification purposes only (to make sure you’re not a felon). You must also take a class, typically 20 or so hours, which teaches you how to care for, carry, and use your firearm properly. Even though I’m very familiar with firearms, I still learned a couple things in this required course. At the end you culminate with a mandatory range session, which proves you can shoot accurately with a passing score. If you are a law-abiding citizen and can meet these requirements, you’re eligible for a permit. It is not as if they simply give you a gun with no questions asked (as I have sometimes heard said). You ARE competent and proficient in the use of your firearm when you receive a permit.

    What is the biggest complaint to a concealed carry system? Usually people complain that more people are running around with guns they can’t see. That is EXACTLY the point, because criminals don’t know if you’re carrying either when they approach you with ill intent. I like to remind people who argue with me on this subject that there has NEVER been a permitted gun carrier anywhere in this country who has committed a crime with a firearm.

    Perhaps the people in Wisconsin will begin to realize that having a concealed weapons permit system in place isn’t a matter of arming more criminals – it’s about providing safety for law-abiding citizens, which can only come about through being armed. Criminals care nothing about laws by definition, so laws have little or no effect on limiting their activities. Employing a reciprocal service in this state is a start, but implementing a permitting system of their own would bring in additional revenue to the state (much needed from all I can see).

    This is not an issue that is divided down political party lines, because a recent poll showed that about 50% of Democrat households in the U.S. had firearms as well. This is an issue of safety and freedom which needs to be addressed soon. Only those who ignore the numerical facts in all the studies and from other states, or those that enjoy a system where the majority who obey the law are easier to control, would support a continued infringement on concealed carry rights in Wisconsin!

Leave a Reply

Sign the WGO petition for Constitutional Carry & Self-Defense in Wisconsin!