Out in the countryside, seeing men carry around rifles and knives and such excites the nerves of no one except (maybe) some ungulates. In urban and suburban areas, though, most five-toe-per-foot folk have become used to not seeing people dressed to kill, so to speak.
That’s one reason for conceal carry laws, allowing people to carry guns legally, but concealed. Very civilized, and it makes criminals think twice.
But here’s a wrinkle: Openly carrying weapons is perfectly legal in all sorts of places. Wisconsin’s Attorney General wrote a memorandum, not long ago, saying that residents may indeed openly carry guns on Wisconsin streets.
Oddly, the state prohibits concealed carry by citizens.
Worse yet, some local police have no intention of abiding by the law. Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Harris made the news, saying, “My message to my troops is if you see anybody carrying a gun on the streets of Milwaukee, we’ll put them on the ground, take the gun away and then decide whether [they] have a right to carry it.”
Harris is worried about his city’s murder rate. So, he’s willing to commit crimes to prevent murder.
We all know where he’s coming from. But, I wonder. Has Harris thought this through? I bet that most murders in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were committed by people illegally carrying guns, concealed, not by those openly carrying them.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.