First, an opinion piece with some good points from The Sheboygan Press:
Recently, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that the city had recorded 113 homicides, and there are still six weeks to go in the year.At the risk of sounding like someone else, I might just say--indeed.
That's a grim statistic in a city of approximately 583,600 residents. So, it might appear understandable that people like Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle, Democrats in the Legislature and some police officials are not too keen about legislation that would make it possible for Wisconsin citizens to carry concealed handguns.
That is, until one does a quick comparison with another city of roughly the same size and social makeup. Welcome to Seattle, Wash., a city of approximately 571,500 people. At the same time Milwaukee had posted a body count of 113 homicides, Seattle had logged a mere 27.
Aside from the vast disparity in the number of homicides in Milwaukee and Seattle, there is one more big difference. Washington residents can carry concealed handguns, and a lot of them do, more than 230,000 at last count. The Evergreen State has had a concealed carry statute for more than 50 years and a state constitutional right to bear arms that is rock solid. An armed Washington citizen might wonder why Wisconsin's citizens are not allowed the means to defend themselves.
Second is this report from The Huntsville Times that State Rep. Albert Hall (D-Gurley) has filed a "no retreat" bill based on, but not the same as, Florida's law:
The Florida law says, "A person does not have a duty to retreat if the person is in a place where he or she has a right to be."I prefer the Florida wording, myself.
The Alabama bill says the person does not have to retreat if they are in a store, or any place used for "public use, lodging or the storage of goods," including boats, tents and cars.
