Since November 2011, when Wisconsin became the 49th state to allow its citizens to carry concealed firearms, the DOJ has received nearly 110,000 applications from hopeful carriers.
February appeared to be a particularly busy month. More than 15,800 handgun transfers were documented through the state’s handgun hotline that month.
What’s not known, however, is how many of those license carriers reside in any one particular county, village or city.
How many carriers live in Rock County? What about Beloit?
In short — no one knows.
“We do not track applications that way,” said Dana Brueck, a DOJ spokeswoman. “We’re prohibited by law. It’s within Act 35 itself.”
Tracking firearm ownership, whether the weapons be concealed or stowed at home, is intentionally difficult. That’s nothing new.
For instance, Beloit Police Chief Norm Jacobs cannot say how many gun owners live in Beloit. Rock County Sheriff Bob Spoden cannot quantify the number of firearms, legal or not, are in Rock County.
“There’s no way to know how many guns you actually have in your community,” Spoden said.As usual, I fired off a comment immediately:
Re: Will O'Brien's story on 4/21.
Secrecy is the whole point of concealed carry. The bad guys never know if their intended victim is capable of defending themselves with deadly force.
Several states and anti-freedom organizations have attempted to publicize the names and addresses of concealed carry permit holders and / or gun owners. They claim this is to promote "openness", but in reality it is just a ploy to intimidate persons who would obtain a defensive weapon and legal permission to carry for their own safety. Publishing the names and addresses of permit holders - or gun owners - is aiding and abetting burglaries and break-ins.
Many concealed carry permit holders are women who have had problems with stalkers or abusive relationships, and carry in self-defense because the police or a restraining order cannot protect them. Some are handicapped persons who cannot put up a physical struggle with a stronger attacker. Others live in areas where crime is rampant.
Some concealed carry permit holders are just interested in exercising their God-given right to self-defense, a right protected, not given, by our Constitution.
In any case, it's not concealed carry permittees that the police or the public should be worried about - it's the criminal who was carrying a weapon illegally years before legal concealed carry was ever discussed - the same person who will still be carrying regardless of any future law passed.
As far as knowing how many guns are in Rock County, that is the business of the residents of Rock County who own them, no one else.
Side note to those businesses with "no weapons" signs - do you really think that it's a good idea to tell everyone you are defenseless?
Chuck Kuecker
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