Residents urge changes after gun-carrying incident in downtown Appleton
APPLETON — Residents who were upset that two men carried rifles near the downtown farmers market in early September flooded City Hall with electronic messages and called for corrective action, a review of public records showed.
Using the state’s public records law, Post-Crescent Media reviewed more than a dozen written comments from residents, along with internal emails discussing how to handle the situation from a city government perspective.
“As long as there are people with guns walking around this city, my family will not be,” wrote Adam Fredrick of Appleton.
Appleton police encountered two Fox Cities residents open carrying AR-15 rifles on College Avenue toward the market on Sept. 7. The men were legally carrying the rifles, but were detained and ultimately released without tickets.
“If these idiots are this paranoid perhaps they should stay home and protect their fortress and not wander around on the streets,” wrote Mary Rutten of Appleton. “I do not want to live like this where people feel they have to carry guns to protect themselves at a public and/or family event.”
The situation set off sharp admonishment from law enforcement around the state. Read more
Source: Appleton Post Crescent/Gannett