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Letter to the Editor: Coming Gun Legislation

Our Wisconsin Assembly has been very busy of late in regard to all things guns. The Republican Senate Bill 570 would limit the legal liability of gun and ammunition manufacturers – a move I believe would protect them from big payouts following mass shootings. 

Let’s not forget Assembly Bill (AB) 478, which would expand the rights of gun owners with concealed-carry permits and shift the age necessary for a conceal permit from 21 to 18 years old. 

Then there are bills – AB 777, 831, 832, 833, 836 and 837 – that want to allocate approximately $25 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to recruit, retain and equip law-enforcement officers.

I’ve read that resignations and retirements were up in 2021 among law enforcement, so there is a problem. But if an officer would see a person with a gun, open or concealed, how are they supposed to know in a split second whether that is a “good” or “bad” person? Maybe if there were fewer guns – not more – in the hands of individuals, it would be safer for law enforcement, and we wouldn’t have such a problem with retaining and recruitment. 

In the end, safety is an issue for both the police and the community. No one should be in harm’s way every time they step outside, or sit in a car or on their sofa, or lie in their bed. I agree with Democratic Minority Leader Greta Neubauer that legislators should focus on things such as universal background checks rather than protection for gun manufacturers.

We all have a responsibility to pay attention to what our elected officials are doing because at times it might not be for the common good.

Carol Schmidt

Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin