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Gun-control advocates say shootings point out need for restrictions
By Tom Barton
RACINE - Gun-control advocates in the city said Monday that this weekend's triple homicide was a tragic example of the need to restrict guns in Wisconsin.
"It's terrible for the people involved; for the friends and family who have to go through this. It's really sad when we lose three of our citizens to gun violence," said Racine Alderman Pete Karas, member of the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort. "We have to curb the availability of guns. We need to get out of this cycle of violence - this attitude that more guns on the streets makes us safe. We don't want to create a situation like the shootout at the OK
Corral."
While it can't be known if the shooting would have happened with stricter gun-control laws, Karas said more guns at the scene would have led to more deaths and injuries.
Karas said he recognizes crime reduction and violence prevention is a bigger issue involving other factors, such as Racine's high unemployment rate, gangs, drugs, socio-economic standing, living conditions and education.
"This is definitely bigger than just guns," Karas said. "It's an issue where we need to address the root causes of violence, but there still needs to be a preventative angle. It's just too easy to get guns in Wisconsin.
This is why Karas, as well as others from WAVE, have been lobbying the Legislature to fight the state's pro-gun lobby, which wants reconsideration of a bill which would make it legal to carry a concealed weapon in Wisconsin.
"Apparently the individuals involved in the shooting who died had concealed weapons. We have to make sure a conceal to carry law does not become law in Wisconsin," Karas said. "It just compounds the issue."
Wisconsin is one of 14 states that restricts or does not allow the right to carry or conceal a weapon.
According to 2005 polling data by WAVE, about 60 percent of people in Wisconsin oppose legalizing concealed weapons, with two-thirds of gun owners in the state opposing the right to carry a concealed weapon.
A June Gallup poll found that one in four Americans think private citizens should be allowed to have a concealed weapon, with roughly two-thirds saying they would feel less safe if they were in a public place and knew that concealed firearms were allowed.
The National Rifle Association cites data that shows crime rates decrease in states with concealed-carry laws and asserts that the Second Amendment of the Constitution guarantees the right to bear arms. The NRA has stated this is why they have also supported pre-emption laws that make it illegal for municipalities and counties to have gun ordinances that are more restrictive than state law. The NRA also has stated that without a uniform law, "the results could be a complex patchwork of restrictions that change from one jurisdiction to the next."
Wisconsin allowed for a pre-emption law with a constitutional amendment in 1998.
"What this means is this is a statewide issue. If something is to happen in Wisconsin, it has to happen at the state level," Karas said. "One thing we have to do is let people know that the NRA just isn't that powerful. Polls are showing us this. We shouldn't fear them."
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