Wisconsin Lawmakers Propose Bill to Allow Off-Duty and Retired LEOs to Carry On Public School Grounds

Wisconsin Representative Joel Kleefisch has revived his proposal which would allow off-duty, retired, and out-of-state law enforcement officers to carry guns on public school grounds. A similar proposal which would have allowed all legal WI CCP holders to carry on school grounds was shot down last session.

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Jon Bales, executive director of the Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators, said Monday that the School Administrators Alliance will propose an amendment which would require current, former or out-of-state officers carrying a firearm to register with school officials upon entering the building.

“While we certainly understand the need and the rationale for off-duty police officers to be in school facilities, the same is not true for retired and out-of-state people and that gives us the heightened reason to ask for that,” Bales said.

“(Kleefisch) sees it as increasing school safety at no cost to the taxpayer,” Kleefisch spokeswoman Ashlee Moore said. “They can feel a little more safe that trained professionals are in the school building and responding to an emergency if they needed to.”

The Assembly proposal passed a committee vote on March 12 and as a concealed carry permit holder with children in Wisconsin’s public schools, I hope Kleefisch’s proposal will pass. There is no reason law enforcement officers, whether on duty or off, retired or plain-clothed, should not be able to carry a gun in public schools.  It should go without saying that these individuals, who have promised to protect and serve our communities, would only pull their weapon to thwart a violent act, not to incite one.

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Currently under Wis. Stat. § 948.605(2)(b)1m and 18 USC 922(q)(2)(B)(v), citizens can carry on school grounds in accordance with a contract entered into between a school in the school zone and the individual or their employer. While some can justify legal concealed carry permit holders need to ask for permission to carry, it’s unnecessary to require the same for law enforcement officers.

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