maskedcommentator - glad you asked.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chris-barr...
http://www.byui.edu/onlinelearning/cours...
And an older article.
http://www.press.uchicago.edu/Misc/Chica...
It's a difficult one to get a fix on,mainly because if a crime has been stopped the chances of it being reported into any kind of searchable database is nill.

Prizefighterinferno, I demand to have the ability to defend what I hold most dear to me...My family. I would love to leave it up to our law enforcement, but they are rarely around when you really need them to protect you. To their defense, they are probably out writing tickets for not wearing your seatbelt or some other super important task.
I have lived in states where they do allow citizens to legally carry and I have never felt threatened by that fact, honestly, I felt a little safer where the criminals did not know who was armed and who was not.
I find some humor in the fact that you are grasping at straws in an attempt to discredit conceal carry advocates.
When the "do not have" people finally stop attempting to take from the people that have made something in their lives, maybe, just maybe we can get to a more civil society. But a society where you get only what you earned is not a society that you liberals want...is it?

If everyone was responsible I would be in favor of open carry. But, if everyone was responsible, there would be no need for open carry!

I would be more inclined to accept it if, registration and some form of documented training permit were mandatory. Plus gun law violation penalties would need to be significantly more severe if people can carry concealed weapons anywhere. Personally, I really don't see any point to it but if others feel so threatened to set foot outside their homes without a firearm, let them do whatever trips their trigger...so to speak.

Prizefighterinferno,
I have had the pleasure to live in a State where concealed carry was legal, with state certified training and proper background check.
It was not like the Wild West at all, and crime was minimal, even though living within close driving distance to Washington DC.....It does work.

Our founding fathers where smart enough to realize that there would be no 1st amend. without the 2nd amend. The constitution must be protected and defended by the people. The 2nd amend. allowes we the people the ability to defend ourselves and the constitution against an out of control tyrannical government.

SigmundFraud - Agree with your last post completely. Those using the motorcycle murder incident as leverage for an argument, is pretty pointless. As someone mentioned below, you will always have morons. The motorcyclist broke multiple laws that would still be illegal if this law was in place.
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Again, I could see the paranoia from some if we were the first state trying to implement this rule. We are the last state trying to implement it. Hello.

The guy on the motorcycle was a criminal thug illegaly carrying a gun and deserves life in prison. 48 states have now recognized the right to personal protection without the streets turning into"Tombstone" so whats the issue here? Are us dumb hicks in Wis just not smart enuff to carry gunz?

My favorite question for Libs is "What would you do if you and your family were walking home from the park and a pitbull comes charging at you" A: Forget the fam and run screaming. B: Use Al Gores animal hypnosis to calm and befriend the dog. C: Call the police and hope they get there within 10 minutes. D: Pull your gun and put the dog down. So ?

Koch bros: Of course I can defend myself against a guy with a knife,gun or a guy with 6 buddies to help. I'll just use all the moves I learned from the Matrix movies. I mean if Keenue can dodge bullets and beat up groups of bad guys why cant I? Oh wait thats right it was a movie.

Our fore fathers would not have written the 2nd amendment, if they had known how crazy our world would be!!!!!!
I bet that guy on motorcycle who was just prosecuted wishes he had not carried a gun that night.

The question I have is, if we have a major disaster and really need our guns for protection, might the Government declare martial law and try to confiscate them? What assurances do we have that won't happen? They did it in New Orleans and I found it quite troubling.

Interesting, we've found a topic where Koch can't keep up the troll posting.

Aw what the heck, make it 4 -lord knows it'll be drummed out by the gun nuts with nothing better to do but rule the internets, then walk around acting tough with their guns.

Why is it that big tough men feel compelled to carry weapons?
______
had to post 3 in a row to match the lunacy.

Founding Fathers wanted guns for all citizens-had to keep the Property (slaves) from running off somehow.

Sigmund -I can understand your wife packin heat, but can't you defend yourself without?

I and my wife both open carry when out and about in town and so far neither of us have decided to go "Wild west" and start shooting up stores and saloons. But what do you expect Libs think they are smarter and better equipped to live your life than you are.

The title of this article is so biased its not even funny.

Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my gun

Wisconsin should repeal the ban on concealed carry. It was a bad law, copying post-civil war southern states which passed concealed carry laws because former slaves were surprising Klu Klux Klan members by drawing concealed firearms and shooting back when the Klan tried to stop them from leaving the share-cropper farming system and moving to northern states.

Banning law-abiding citizens from carrying concealed puts them at a disadvantage with criminals who ignore the law and carry concealed weapons. Wisconsin residents (who are not convicted felons or established mental cases) should not need a permit to carry a gun or knife to protect themselves.

Wisconsin should also establish a voluntary concealed carry permit system for Wisconsin residents who wish to carry concealed weapons in other states (which require background checks, classroom and range training before they will honor out-of-state permits) and to establish to those other states that we will honor their concealed carry permits to encourage tourism from concealed carry permit holders of those states.

Even if you do not like or own guns yourself, you would benefit from Wisconsin allowing concealed carry, in two ways. 1st, it introduces the element of uncertainty to criminals. Without concealed carry, unless you look like a cop, criminals will consider you to be unarmed. With concealed carry, you can be a 98 pound weakling or somebody's grandmother and still be capable of drawing a concealed handgun and shooting a criminal attempting to assault you or a loved one. That is why some robbers and muggers in other states made career changes and became burglars and shoplifters when their state passed a concealed carry law. Raise your hand (and wave to attract the criminals) if you DON'T want some violent crime to be replaced by property crime in Wisconsin.

2nd, even if you don't carry a concealed weapon, a good Samaritan near you might have one and come to your rescue if you are attacked. If they can't carry a concealed weapon, they may just dial *67 911 and leave, hoping the police arrive before you are killed.

Speaking of dialing 911, if you think banning handguns is a solution, you should call the authorities and report yourself as dangerously delusional. Washington DC and Chicago Illinois have duked it out for decades to see which can be murder capital of the country, in spite of local handgun bans for decades. National ban? Yah, that worked so well for alcohol during prohibition and is doing a cracker-jack job of preventing drug use today.

Concealed carry isn't a magic wand that will banish all murders, assaults, rapes, muggings and robberies, but it is such an effective tool that all but two states, Wisconsin, and Illinois, have some form of it. On July 1st, Wyoming will become the 4th state to allow concealed carry without any permit.

"Big cities have gun buy-back programs to make the city safer, I guess they have the wrong idea"
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the irony of your comment would be apparent if you saw the crap that gets turned in...BB guns, broken stuff that is barely worthy of scrap etc. Even the criminal element knows that a working firearm is worth more than some $25 gift card to Payless or some such. If buybacks make you happy feel free to have them. The point is not that one will have to be a quick draw artist to make CC a valid proposition. Criminals are basically cowards. Every state that has CC has shown a drop in violent crime. While you can argue about correlation and causation if you wish, there is no evidence that CC makes life MORE dangerous.

http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/detr...
the problem with trying to find links to preventing crime through CC is that most of the "prevention" stories don't make big time news. In the above story, a crime (attempted robbery) had already been committed before the pizza guy had to use his weapon. What was prevented was a story about a dead pizza guy. Why don't you folks look up the stories of folks arrested for abusing a CC permit? You folks have been predicting a rebirth of Dodge City shootouts since CC has become an issue...48 states later you are still predicting it. Are the folks in Wisconsin that much more untrustworthy that you guys are wetting yourselves in fear of CC?

BunBun: "CC is not yet legal and since that is so, the alleged evil person who was already violating the law was fairly confident that the victim was unarmed."

If someone decides to pull out a gun and shoot you when you aren't expecting it, how would also having a gun help you unless you are quick-draw McGraw, which is how most people see themselves I'm sure. Big cities have gun buy-back programs to make the city safer, I guess they have the wrong idea, they should have gun give-away programs.

When this thing passes, the first thing i am going to do is get one of those dirty harry guns.
Yea, i'll go to the gun store,"GIVE me one of them there "make my day guns" and throw in a couple boxes of shells"
Just think what this law will do for the local economy!!

Oh boy, ain't life great in Wississippi!

@Maynard - How does concealed carry change the risk of home invasion? Don't you already have the right to posess a handgun in your home, and use it in self-defense?

@Rusty - the majority of those self defense stories are either homeowners or business owners.

I'm looking for original links to concealed carry being tied to preventing crime.

And, by the way, thanks for the article that shows that the US has 90 firearms for every 100 citizens, making the US the most heavily-armed nation in the world.

"I wonder if there are any recent Janesville events that could point to why it may not be a good idea to always have a gun at arms length away?"
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I might have heard a story somewhere about how an inanimate object twisted someone to evil but then the thought occurred to me that CC is not yet legal and since that is so, the alleged evil person who was already violating the law was fairly confident that the victim was unarmed.

panama - your paring knife would also be a concealed weapon if you hide it.
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cars and guns comparison
1. both use an internal combustion to drive pistons (exception being electric cars)
2. both only go where you point them.
3. both require human interaction to do anything.
4. both take practice to become proficient in their use.
5. unfortunately, Ive knocked off the same number of deer with either.

RustyRotor "sparky - now we all have to be lawyers?"

Absolutely not, but if people have an aversion to learning and following rules and regulations correctly, they may just want to keep away from guns altogether. An idiot with a gun could be more of a danger to themselves than an adversary might be. What are they going to do when confronted with a possible life or death situation, use their cell phone to contact their attorney during the middle of an altercation to inquire whether or not they can legally pull the trigger. Learn how and when to use a gun, or leave them alone.

I wonder if there are any recent Janesville events that could point to why it may not be a good idea to always have a gun at arms length away? Can anyone recall any national headlines about an armed citizen who saved lives by pulling out their gun and shooting bad guys? They more often seem to be about a child who shoots themselves.

gotta think the insurance companies will want to grab a piece of the action. I'm ok with people carrying guns but not in bars and to work but it would be pretty hard to enforce.

The headline is biased,"gun lovers"? Come on gazette, read the constitution or move your rag to Canada!

sioback: I am constantly amazed at the bias displayed by the AP. Would we ever see a headline started with "Abortion lovers lay out.."???

To me the advantage of concealed carry versus no gun or open carry is as follows: The would be criminal has to think twice before assaulting you. Right now in Wisconsin and Illinois, the criminal can anticipate his victim does not have a gun unless that victim is also breaking the law. Just like having firearms in the home .... A criminal may think twice before a home invasion if there is a risk he may encounter a home owner with a gun. Australia confiscated guns (handguns, rifles, shotguns) from homeowners with a resulting increase in home invasions. Wonder why? Concealed carry is a deterrent. I support it but think it requires a strong permit program. Doubt that I personally would carry but the criminal would not know that if it were legal.

SuperPink-You are right that people are morons but banning handguns is not the answer. Unfortunately people will always be morons. We can't ban automobiles, hazards in the home, accidental poisoning and on and on. There is no easy answer outside of education

its called the second amendment people

I agree MAFairman, but first lets outlaw really dumb comparisons in an effort to justify an idiotic argument.
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bebe53, if a loaded gun is as dangerous as a knife, then why do we need to pass a conceal carry law? Just carry around your paring knife.
But then, I can see where you might believe that since, according to your logic, 20 voters out of several million committed voter fraud so a photo ID for voting is necessary.
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Gee mespl, using that logic...perhaps someday a criminal will threaten to use their car to harm a bank clerk if they don't hand over the money. I can hear it now… "stick 'em up and hand over the cash or I'll run you over in my car." I wonder how successful I'd be using my car to hunt waterfowl, deer or other wild game. Simply because an object could be used in some form or fashion to harm an individual doesn't make it commensurate with a gun.
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Based on your last post grandy, how is it justifiable then that bartenders are held responsible when someone they serve is involved in an accident?

Maybe we should ask the New Orleans families that were left defenseless after Hurrican Katina when the Gov. took away their guns. Left these families to the looters.

Gentleman last week was sentenced 45 years for shooting killing another. Ask him what his vote on this law would be??

minan might be reading comic books about aliens - is the 2nd amendment on that plant.

mrbread
Yes I can, and can you give us a meaningful post?

sparky - now we all have to be lawyers?

themaskedcommentator - have at it, the link you wanted
http://www.kc3.com/CCWSTATS.html

The right to keep AND BEAR arms shall not be infringed. No permit is necessary.

mrbread has to much yeast between his ears!

Happiness is a warm gun.

Yahoooooo!
Which way to the OK corral?
Now we can settle differences like real men!

Kay, we are so proud of you! Cutting and pasting from wikipedia! Good work. Can you cut and paste from other sites as well?

Superpink....just handguns? Really? Because those aren't the only guns that discharge. Knives? Should we melt those down too? Please take all of my rights away....I'm begging of the government! I have one to protect my family, but it's also safely locked when I'm not home and I was trained when I was a kid. My home was invaded in the middle of the evening. My family comes first and if by protecting them from idiots who could harm them is wrong, then I guess I'm in the wrong. If you ban guns completely, it's one more illegal product that will be for sale on the streets. Drugs are illegal and those are readily available. I have no need to carry a gun on myself, but if the world continues in the direction it's going in, I would like the option to do so without breaking the law. Are there people who shouldn't own them? Absolutely! I don't disagree that there should be a training certificate involved if someone wants a permit to carry one. It's my given right to own a gun, as it is every other U.S. citizen who hasn't committed a felony. Our rights are being pealed away from us every single day and I'll be danged if I'm going to just hand over another one of my rights.I know there are going to be those who disagree with my statements, but I don't care about that...I'm just sharing my opinion like everyone else is.

The Second Amendment (Amendment II) to the United States Constitution is the part of the United States Bill of Rights that protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, along with the rest of the Bill of Rights.

In 2008 and 2010, the Supreme Court issued two Second Amendment decisions. In District of Columbia v. Heller (2008), the Court ruled that the Second Amendment protects an individual's right to possess a firearm, unconnected to service in a militia[1][2] and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home. Additionally, the Court enumerated several longstanding prohibitions and restrictions on firearms possession that it found were consistent with the Second Amendment.[3] In McDonald v. Chicago (2010), the Court ruled that the Second Amendment limits State and local governments to the same extent that it limits the federal government.[4]

As a former LEO I fully endorse an individuals right to carry a concealed weapon. Now, with that said I also agree that before any permit for carry is issued, the person must attend a state certified training program and become proficient with not only the handling of the weapon, but they must also test out in a manner that insures that they fully comprehend the statutes relating to concealed carry. Anyone can become proficient shooting a pistol, but I have my doubts about everyone fully understanding their responsibilities.

A good example of not understanding rules and regulations is the Wisconsin DOT for example. Many people would be shocked to find out how very little newly (and some older ones) licensed drivers know about traffic related obligations and statutes.

Another problem with the system will be the states need to generate revenue. In my opinion there are many older (and some not so old) citizens who are approved at drivers license renewal time that are no longer capable of safely operating a vehicle. The only requirement is that their vision must be correctable..............amazing. I have been at DOT and witnessed the counter person having to tell the license applicant 3 or 4 times how much they owed for the renewal. If they can not remember a certain dollar amount for 30 seconds, they do not belong behind the wheel of a vehicle.

So, because of the states need for revenue, will they just rubber stamp the applications for concealed carry in the same manner they do for license renewal just so they can collect the fees? I would be willing to bet they would, unless very strict requirements are imposed in the licensing process. To achieve that, and keep the licensing authority honest, I believe a multi-layered exam that includes partial testing at non-state ran examination sites would be beneficial.

As I stated above, I would like to see concealed carry become legal, but lets make sure that to obtain a license you also need to know how to read and comprehend. I do not mean to say that all older drivers are a danger to themselves or the public, because they are not. I am just using that as an example of how the state likes to rake in the cash even if they are aware that a person may no longer be able to operate a vehicle safely. Anyone who has been in law enforcement for any length of time can tell you that 90 percent of the time when an officer fills out a drivers condition report and sends it to DOT, they usually receive the obligatory thank you letter from DOT thanking you for your concern, but the driver who is listed on the report was deemed capable of safely operating a motor vehicle......the same person you have found several times stopped in the middle of an intersection for 20 minutes because they forgot where they were going, or the ones who can not remember their name until they see it on their drivers license. Lets take concealed carry a little more serious.

If you search for countries that have banned hanned guns, you will find crime rates are lowest, where handguns aren't permitted. We have the "right" to arm ourselves, but we shouldn't feel the urgency. Remember, the constitution was written at a time when there was no organized police system and to be honest, no real army, the armament led to militias that did the work of both the police and the army. I understand hunting, but what is the purpose of a handgun? No one I know has needed or used one to "protect" themselves. The only stories about handguns that hit close to home, are those of accidents and suicides. Why do you really need to hide a gun on yourself?

brewcrew420: are you drunk already?? the benefit of concealed is to not freak out the people who cringe at the sight of a gun

superpink: yeah people die from irresponsible gun use. there are always going to be potential negatives from allowing responsible adult citizens certain rights but NOT giving those adults certain rights would be worse in this free country of ours than those potential negatives...even if those potential negatives are death.

Can anyone provide a link to an article or study showing an instance in which someone who was carrying (legally) a concealed weapon was able to prevent a crime?

Ok I have to answer some of these questions which have been brought up which are completely ignorant to even be asked in the first place. It is unfortunate that some people do not educate themselves on these subjects before they go shooting their mouths off but here it goes.
To both brewcrew420 and WiGrf concealed carry is preferable to open carry because with open carry you end up having incompetent people who do not know it is legal calling the police because they see someone with a gun. Then the police in many cases detain without probable cause the people who are exercising their legal rights, usually followed by a disorderly conduct ticket which in most cases ends up getting thrown out in court once that more time is wasted going to court for exercising a legal right. With concealed carry there would not be these calls because the weapon would not be seen unless it was being used.
I actually do agree with grandy on comparing a gun to a car. Both are privately owned property which are targets of theft when a robbery occurs. Both can be used in a dangerous manner and cause great physical harm and even death. Both are valuable on the black market to criminals. Both should be properly locked and stored by responsible adults. Both are fairly common and can be used as deadly weapons. If they were not similar in their effectiveness to kill then police would not be able to use deadly force when you threatened to ram them with a car. Please tell me why they are not similar and why you should not be held liable for damages caused if your car was stolen under your logic?

so if I steal one of your kitchen knives panama and stab/injure/kill someone with it are you saying you should be held accountable and not me?

PanamaRed - We already have the right to protect ourselves. Allowing open carry and/or conceal carry does not add to public safety.
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Can you prove that? Statistically, countries that banned guns entirely had an increase in crime. Many of the 48 states that allow carry, have had a decrease in crime and no increase that can be blamed on the carry law.

Honorfirst-

Protect yourself from what? Perhaps I'm not aware of the current gun problem, if there is one to what extent, in Janesville. Not to mention Wisconsin. The only thing people will need protection from is more concealed carriers.

hdonlybob-

Proper training and education you say, like what is required for a driver's license? No education/licensure is foolproof, and can easily be passed by the standard but not adhered to once the individual is finished with the training. I know there's no problem with bad drivers all around us.

Children can get into kitchen drawers and stab themselves with a knife...lets outlaw all knives. Children can fall down stairs and kill themselves...lets outlaw multi-story buildings and basements. Children can fall off bikes and hit their heads and die...lets outlaw bicycles. So many things can lead to accidents that kill children...lets outlaw children.

Comparing a car to a gun, great logic grandy. Please do us all a favor grandy and lay out a rational comparison which point out the similarities between a gun and a car.
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Those are your words bebe, not mine. Besides why should you hold voters accountable but not gun owners?
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We already have the right to protect ourselves. Allowing open carry and/or conceal carry does not add to public safety.

SuperPink- First you say we should ban guns, then you say guns aren't the problem, people are. Huh?

What is the benefit of conceal carry over open carry?

Handguns need to be outlawed completely. We all know that there have been too many cases of innocent children being killed or injured by guns that people bought legally. Guns aren't the problem, people are. People are morons and children die. Get rid of the guns, you can have them back when people aren't morons anymore...

hdonlybob - One of two. WI and IL.

I believe WI is one of only three states that do not allow CCW...
All the others can't be wrong...
Time for WI to get with the program...
Proper training, and certification is a good thing for all.

Maybe if we get this bill passed, next we can eliminate the police department's rights to collectively bargain, then we can protect ourselves when they leave for greener pastures like the exodus of teachers and administrators for better paying districts.

also pass the law to make pot legal and taxable

Fast forward twenty years.............Imagine, an uneducated populace, poor quality public employees, everyone has a gun, No recycling, no one can vote, It'll look a lot like a third world country!
http://www.theblogofrecord.com/wp-conten...

Panama-requiring photo ID would disenfranchise the poor,elderly crininal of his right to carry a firearm. Jim Crow!!

Openly carrying a firearm in a holster is already legal in most situations and locations. Those times when it is not legal would remain illegal under a conceal carry law. So what is the benefit of a concealed weapon if one only carries for protection?

permit+training. No problem with that.

Responsible citizens deserve the right to protect themselves and their families at all times. We are one of two states that do not allow some sort of gun carry law. Let's get with the 21st century and give the people what they are asking for. If you oppose the conceal carry law, don't carry, but don't condemn the folks that want this right.

Headline should read "liberty lovers" not "gun lovers".

if its concealed how would an officer know to ask??

pass the law already

While we are at it, lets also allow anyone who has their gun stolen because they failed to to use a certified gun storage devise to be charged with the same crime as the person using their stolen gun to commit a crime. Gun owners should be held accountable for improperly storing a lethal weapon. Plus any person carrying a gun should be forced by law to provide a photo ID upon the verbal request by any law officer.

Do it!

Don't do it.