Lock, stock and veto

In the wake of a State of the State address that has been almost universally recognized as a poorly cloaked campaign kick off, Jim Doyle will be presented with a concealed carry gun law. Given his history on the subject, habit of pandering to the Wisconsin left and apparent disregard for citizens' safety, the governor is expected to veto this bill. And, in typical fashion, you can bet he will do it quietly on a Friday.

The argument being posed against the legislation is that it will create a dangerous state where civilians don't know who is armed and who is not. The only problem is that we already don't know who is armed and who is not.

Criminals, by nature, have never much been sticklers for the law and, at the moment, are – by definition – the only civilians walking around with concealed weapons. If they see someone bearing a firearm openly, they are inherently less likely to engage that person in a violent crime. If they see someone unarmed, it is a pretty safe bet that a robbery, mugging or worse can proceed with little risk.

The hypocrisy of this anti-concealed carry argument was recently exposed in devastating fashion when Washington, DC alderman (and former mayor/crack addict) Marion Barry was mugged at gunpoint. The politician seemed stunned to learn the lesson that Mr. Doyle apparently struggles with so badly: criminals already carry weapons.

On a more local level, the Capital Times recently ran a feature on how workers in the City-County building are increasingly jittery with the removal of security stations (they have moved to the new courthouse), since no one is sure who is armed and who is not. Even in a city of idealistic liberals, people are petrified because of the epiphany that criminals might be armed:

The new "open door" policy at public entrances to the City-County Building downtown has heightened the fear factor for staff in crime-related offices, with some workers thinking of packing pepper spray for personal protection.

City and county officials are looking to see if security can be shored up in the building, now that weapon screening equipment and the guards staffing it are gone, as well as sheriff's deputy bailiffs.

And once you accept that criminals are armed – and, that with the proposed law, criminals will have a tough time getting their own hands on concealed carry permits – it seems profoundly mind-boggling to not allow law-abiding citizens to arm themselves. A deterrent is created, people feel inherently safer and, yes, when a crime is being committed some citizens might just be able to defend themselves.

Then again, Mr. Doyle is constantly surrounded by police officers and armed guards. When his own security is guaranteed, why would he – based on his track record – have any reason to worry about that of others?