In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the City Council respects activists who are Second Amendment supporters. The admission came when City alder Bob Bauman attempted to ban guns near the scheduled Republican National Convention, in violation of state law and the United States and State of Wisconsin constitutions.
Bauman introduced an amendment Friday encouraging the city’s public safety committee to bypass state law and ban guns within the soft perimeter anyway.
“We may be sued. I’m not afraid of being sued,” Bauman told his colleagues.
Bauman knows his proposal is against the law.
Milwaukee City Attorney Evan Goyke told WTMJ it would be difficult for the Common Council to restrict guns in the area even if they wanted to.
“State statute precludes local government from regulating firearm possession beyond what is regulated in state statute,” Goyke said. “Every local unit of government, including the City of Milwaukee is preempted, or precluded from, additional regulations beyond state statute.”
Wiser heads prevailed. It wasn’t fear of the state government that stopped them. The executive branch is firmly controlled by their ideological bothers in Madison, including Governor Evers. It was fear of Second Amendment activists that stopped their illegal usurpation of power. Wisconsin Second Amendment activists have demonstrated they are savvy and passionate protectors of their constitutional rights. The majority on the City Council understood this history.
Those in opposition of the amendment, though, cited concerns surrounding the timing of a possible lawsuit with the convention now just about one month away, but they were also concerned with who this ban could attract to Milwaukee.
“We would be potentially encouraging groups who feel very strongly about their second amendment rights, which no harm with that, but we would encourage them then to come and say, ‘I dare you to stop me,'” Alderman Scott Spiker told WISN 12 News.
Notice the respect in Alderman Spiker’s statement, recognizing the legitimacy of supporting the Second Amendment “no harm in that”. Notice the Alderman Spiker’s wise reluctance to challenge Wisconsin’s Second Amendment supporters.
Wisconsin Second Amendment Activists pushed through the Wisconsin Constitution’s strong protection of the right to keep and bear arms, Section 25, in November of 1998, with 74% of the vote.
In 2008, Brad Krause refused to plead to a disorderly conduct charge for openly carrying a holstered pistol while planting a tree in his yard. The case led to a finding by the Attorney General that open carry was not disorderly conduct. As with other states, Wisconsin activists used their right to open carry to promote legal concealed carry. Wisconsin passed its “shall issue” law in 2011. Five open carriers in Madison sued the police for false arrest in 2018. They settled for $10,000 in 2019. There have been several other settlements. In 2017, Madison lost a case challenging a ban on the carry of weapons on city buses. In 2021, Judge Bruce Schroeder upheld Kyle Rittenhouse’ right to bear arms. The jury upheld Kyle’s right to self-defense in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Principled activism combined with strategic action has earned the respect of Wisconsin’s political class. It wasn’t always so. This correspondent recalls a conversation with a Milwaukee policeman while waiting to compete in an International Practical Shooting Confederation competition about four decades ago. He was asked what he would do if a person open carried in Milwaukee. He said “I would arrest them for disorderly conduct.” In response to the question of what they were doing, which was disorderly, He said, “Someone had to call in a complaint. That makes it disorderly.”
Much has changed in the past four decades. Today, if a Wisconsin policeman made such an arrest, the department would face a lawsuit and would settle. Wisconsin Second Amendment supporters have earned their respect.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
“As with other states, Wisconsin activists used their right to open carry to promote legal concealed carry.”
Open carry is a key that can be used to unlock doors.
HLB
Instead of just being sued personally, in addition to them being held financially responsible, any politician or other government official who knowingly proposes any unconstitutional law should lose all immunity and be charged with a serious crime (felony) with mandatory jail time. The same goes for any person who knowingly enforces any unconstitutional law. The left’s ignoring of laws they don’t like,should have very serious consequences.
As we learned when that crappy legislative disaster bipartisan safer communists law passed with repube support, being Republican means NOTHING. Lil toni gonzales won his primary race in TX even after he supported that bill by 408 votes because GUN OWNERS failed to vote!!! Shame on him and those gun owners who failed to vote.
Wisconsin is a hunting state with a hunting culture. They know what guns are and what they can do because they are 700,000 licensed hunters who are used to handling guns regularly and killing deer with them. They also should not be trifled with for the same reasons just stated. If you truly threaten them they will pull the trigger. Period. They are The Find Out State because they will respond with the Find Out if you decide to F Around. (And your body may never be found.) Ask the three dead guys in Kenosha what it’s like to F… Read more »
Of course this city councilman is not afraid of being sued. None of these Democrat politicians are. He knows too, that even were they lose the lawsuit, it’s the taxpayers, not him or his colleagues, that will foot the bill. And as far as there ever being any repercussions for intentionally passing laws that are illegal or unconstitutional, who cares? There aren’t any. The Democrats know that and that’s how they’ve been playing the game for years. Though recently, they’ve become so much more blatant about it.
“We may be sued. I’m not afraid of being sued,” Bauman told his colleague.
this is one of the biggest issues with government agents, they are not afraid of being sued because they will never pay for these violations of civil rights. they propose and make bad laws and then use taxpayer money to defend them. if they had to personally pay to defend these unconstitutional laws and verdict losses they wouldn’t be doing it.
he might have an “r” behind his name but he still is a tyrannical piece of excrement. might as well call him a prog.