Wisconsin Open-Carry Removal of School Zone/Vehicle Transport restrictions

As the Wisconsin Attorney General noted at http://www.doj.state.wi.us/news/files/FinalOpenCarryMemo.pdf in April of 2009, the orderly open carry of holstered handguns is not only legal in Wisconsin, it is protected by the state constitution. In fact, Wisconsin is just like most states where open carry is allowed without any permit. Unfortunately Wisconsin state law bars the open carry of holstered handguns in vehicles and within 1,000 feet of any school. Accordingly, we submit to you this petition for redress of these onerous and odious restrictions on our open carry rights:

1. Every individual has the right and responsibility to defend their self against unjustified threats of death or serious bodily injury.

2. The Constitutions of the United States and Wisconsin guarantee the right of individuals to keep and bear arms; and as the United States Supreme Court held in the DC gun ban case, DC v. Heller, "bear" means "carry."

3. Criminals are not deterred by rules, regulations, and laws forbidding the possession of weapons - and frankly, according to a recent FBI study criminals don't open carry or even wear holsters. See Anthony Pinizzotto, et al., Violent Encounters: A Study of Felonious Assaults on Our Nation's Law Enforcement Officers, FBI (2006) (finding that violent criminals carefully "conceal" their guns
and "eschew holsters"), summary available at http://www.forcesciencenews.com/home/detail.html?serial=62.

4. Due to the risk of assault on motorists by criminals and car-jackers, most states allow handgun carry in vehicles without any license.

5. The Supreme Court struck down the federal school zone gun ban as unconstitutional in US v. Lopez, and school zone gun bans like Wisconsin's are almost unknown in other states.

6. The Wisconsin school zone and vehicle open carry bans mandate widespread and unnecessary gun handling and loading/unloading in public areas as citizens move about our state, as well as making vehicles and school zones into victim disarmament zones.

7. The Wisconsin school zone and vehicle open carry bans are a threat to public safety and unconstitutionally infringe on the right to open carry.

For the foregoing reasons, we residents of the State of Wisconsin demand repeal of the onerous and odious vehicle and school zone open carry bans. We also call for maintaining the current complete state preemption of local gun control power, and for the legislature to consider creating a license system to authorize citizens the privilege to conceal their handguns as they move about the state.

Sincerely,