Concealed carry facts

As the concealed carry protest organizer, and a University of Wisconsin-Madison student, I was stunned by a Jan. 4 letter to the editor (Letters, “Sex toy protest”).

While letter writer Robb Miles accurately presents the lax requirements with regard to concealed carry of sex toys, this is where the accuracy in his “humorous” letter ends. Let’s set the facts straight: Wisconsin has some of the weakest safety training requirements in the country for obtaining a concealed carry permit. In fact, even people with a history of violent misdemeanor offenses are not excluded, obtaining a permit doesn’t require the person to live-fire a gun and coursework can be completed by Internet.

Further, there is no credible statistical evidence that shows that the presence of students carrying guns will reduce violence on our college campuses.

The facts are that the majority of Wisconsinites — nearly twothirds — oppose allowing people with a concealed carry license to bring guns onto school grounds. Teachers overwhelmingly oppose guns on campus, and a growing number of national and state organizations and local school boards are passing resolutions to this effect.

Eroding gun-free zones is part of an extremist, gun lobby agenda of “guns everywhere,” and we must end it.

Kat Kerwin Madison