Wisconsin State Representative Aims to Arm Staff, Parents at Private Schools

Wisconsin State Representative Jesse Kremer is working to make sure responsible, law-abiding gun owners in the Badger State aren’t being handcuffed by 2011’s Act 35, the state’s concealed carry law.

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“We’re setting parents up for failure,” said Kremer, who is working on a bill to adjust Wisconsin’s law to match the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act, which provides an exception for citizens with CCW licenses. “As soon as they drive into our (school) parking lot, they have to unholster their firearm, if they’re a law-abiding concealed carry holder, and put it in a lockbox.”

“There should be people with goodwill to sit down and, once again, say, ‘What’s a common sense answer to solve this problem so we don’t have folks who are concerned about getting arrested for something as simple as dropping off their grandkids?” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said.

Democrats in the state, who are vocally opposing the pro-Second Amendment legislation, say Republicans aren’t considering concerns of school officials.

“We need to listen to those people who are school leaders, school board members and law enforcement personnel, and unfortunately, I don’t think Republicans are going to listen to them,” Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca said.

“There’s pros and cons but, in the end, from my perspective, the broader position that I have is, schools should probably be able to decide (the gun issue) on their own,” Washington County Sheriff Dale Schmidt said.

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Kremer’s legislative efforts will target private schools first, then he intends to introduce similar bills to extend campus carry into public K-12 schools and onto college campuses.

“When I was an airline captain, we didn’t publicize to post-9/11 passengers if there was a pilot carrying in the cockpit. Why would we do that in our schools? Would it not be more effective to publicize, as other states do, that you don’t know if, or who, will be ready to protect students at a moments notice in a school setting? There is a lot of good in this world, but also evil,” Kremer continued. “The public must remain vigilant and lawmakers proactive regarding the security and safety of their constituents, especially those who are most vulnerable.”


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