Law

Citizens can help keep concealed weapons out of public places; Here's how

October 14, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Concealed carry of weapons becomes legal in Wisconsin on Nov. 1, and local governments across the state are deciding whether to allow weapons in public buildings. Most communities are saying no.

It is also a decision business owners face. The law allows them to forbid their employees from bringing guns to work, and allows them to ban weapons on their property simply by posting a sign at the entrance.

Rather than sit back and watch, Wisconsin citizens, individually or in an organized way, can help them make that decision.

Every day, as you spend money in businesses you normally patronize -- the coffee shop, hair salon, grocery store, gas station, restaurant -- ask them to post a sign keeping weapons out. The Wisconsin Anti- Violence Effort has produced some small cards you can give to businesses, asking them to post a sign and giving them some reasons it makes sense to do so. (For example, workers at businesses that allow guns are 5 to 7 times more likely to be murdered, and 80% of all businesses in the country prohibit guns.)

State Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald, US Senate Candidate, Has PolitiFact Ratings Mainly False

October 13, 2011 by The Political E...

We've come to expect ratings like this:

Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald, State Assembly leader and US Senate candidate is just another GOP leader and fibber - - one true, two mostly false, one Pants on Fire rating so far - - earning him about the same false-to-true PolitiFact rating owned by Governor, Scott Walker.

There is a Wisconsin Republican struggle with truthiness, as I noted a couple of months ago:

Another day, another "False" rating from PolitiFact for a top Republican leader from Wisconsin.

This time, it's Reince Priebus, the Wisconsinite running the national GOP apparatus these days.

In a statement, Priebus was found to have doubled the amount of money public-employee union spent in the recall elections - - turning about $15 million into $30 million.

That's a pretty big goof, both in total dollars and in as a percentage of the true facts.