MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Two Republican state legislators have introduced a bill that would allow concealed carry gun owners to bring weapons into public university and college buildings in Wisconsin.
According to 2014 Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) numbers, you are less likely to become a victim of a violent crime at UW-Madison - which now does not allow concealed weapons in buildings - than you are in the state of Wisconsin as a whole.
Under current Wisconsin law, people can carry guns on the grounds of public colleges and universities, however schools can ban weapons inside campus buildings.
Walker says he will have to see how the bill is drafted before commenting on his support.
Kremer said he began working on the bill after seeing reports of increasing numbers of violence targeting UW-Milwaukee students in the areas surrounding campus. “Allowing armed participants in this type of discussion has the potential to lead to serious negative consequences”, said Conor Smyth, spokesman for the Wisconsin Technical College System. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is one school that has posted signs banning weapons at entrances to every building on campus. “The Campus Carry Act will ensure that our students are no longer denied the right to defend themselves”.
Changing how those obtain a concealed carry license, however, is something Pusateri said needs to be addressed in order for the proposed bill to be effective.
I must ask that the legislature take this empirical evidence into account when making such a large decision for the state.
UW System President Ray Cross and all of the chancellors in the system issued a statement, saying they have significant concerns and questions.
Allowing everyone on campus to legally carry firearms wherever they please gives them the potential to intimidate or endanger those around them.
“Crime is on the rise around the campus, and there is nothing stopping [criminals] because these students walking to campus are disarmed”. “We’re disarming them and allowing these thugs free reign over the neighborhood”. “The only person who’s safe in a gun-free zone is the mass murderer”.
Not to be outdone, a trio of WI Democrats then countered Kremer and LeMahieu’s proposed bill with their own legislation which would make it a felony to possess a gun (or other risky weapon) on a university or college campus.
Students at UW-Madison clearly were wary of the idea in their remarks on social media Tuesday.
