Jill at Liberty’s Logic posted Monday emphasizing Tom Barrett’s reasonable positions on guns and gun control, as evidenced by America’s 1st Freedom, a publication from the National Rifle Association.
That’s how I interpreted the post, though the author was going for a “Barrett-hates-the-second-amendment-and-wants-your-guns” characterization of the candidate for Governor. How so?
Barrett supports a law to;
Require felons to stay 1,000 feet from gun stores, shooting ranges and gun shows, and … declare “straw buying” of guns to be a felony and failure to report stolen guns a crime.
Why the law? I would assume after one gun store being traced as the supplier (through straw buys) of all guns used to wound Milwaukee police officers in the last two years, Barrett wanted to prevent future shootings. Not so, according to the NRA;
“Barrett is exploiting the two fatal shootings of Milwaukee law enforcement officers … to push his own anti-gun agenda.”
Barrett is active in Mayors Against Illegal Guns a group with a mission of “preventing criminals from illegally obtaining guns and using them” and “support[ing] the Second Amendment and the rights of citizens to own guns.”
With the statement:
“Even though Barrett himself was attacked and beaten with a metal pipe last August, which he is still recovering from, he does not support concealed carry in Wisconsin.”
The author implies Barrett’s reaction as a victim should be to arm himself.
Barrett’s continued opposition to concealed carry in light of the attack only bolsters his position. The Violence Policy Center’s recently released numbers of people killed by permit holders with legally concealed handguns reinforces the point.
Like Barrett, I fully believe in the right of private citizens to own firearms. I know laws won’t prevent every criminal that wants a gun from getting a gun. On a controversial subject Barrett strikes a reasonable balance, while the NRA takes an extreme position, putting the public in danger.
This match goes to Barrett.
