Negligent Discharge by Milwaukee Police Officer is no Accident
Friday, November 4th, 2011 at 12:22 PMNegligent Discharge by Milwaukee Police Officer is no Accident
Wisconsin Carry
Wisconsin --(Ammoland.com)- With Wisconsin’s new concealed carry law going into effect there has been a proliferation of speculation about the consequences of having law-abiding citizens carrying concealed weapons.
Ironically, one day after Act 35 went into effect, a Milwaukee police officer negligently discharges his weapon in Southridge mall on Wednesday.
http://www.fox6now.com/news/witi-20111103-cop-fires-gun-southridge,0,5018946.story
As an organization that promotes safe carry in the manner of a law-abiding citizens choosing, we find it concerning that both the GreenDALE Police Chief, and Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn refer to the incident as a “freak accident” and an “complete accident” respectively.
Carry of a gun tucked in the waistband *without* a holster aka “Plaxico Burress” style is no accident, and is not a safe way to carry a handgun. Its unfortunate that with all the purported training that we often hear that police officers obtain with regard to firearms that both Police Chiefs do not take the opportunity to use this as a teachable moment.
Handguns should be carried in holsters. Carry in a holster prevents negligent discharge. The gun-accessory marketplace has thousands of options for holsters for open carry, concealed carry, inside the waistband, outside the waistband, and dozens of other carry options. When a firearm is carried in the waistband, and subsequently discharged unintentionally that is not an accident, but rather negligence.
Negligent discharge of a firearms is a violation of the law. It is unfortunate that in this case, a police officer that should be held to a HIGHER standard is unfortunately given a “free pass” when he could have very easily injured or killed someone with his negligent (not accidental) behavior. Thousands of our members have researched and obtained holsters that serve their style of carry over the last several years. We are confident that as large numbers of Wisconsin residents apply for and begin to exercise their human and constitutional right to self-defense under Wisconsin’s new concealed carry law they will not follow the example set by this Milwaukee Police Officer and instead visit their local gun store to research the variety of holsters available for conceal or open carry which will prevent negligent discharges like this Milwaukee Police officer’s from happening.
We also hope that law enforcement would not give a “free pass” to a violation of law and cite this officer for negligent discharge of a firearm as an example to all that failure to take personal responsibility and carry in a safe manner will have legal consequences.
Carry On,
Nik Clark Chairman – Wisconsin Carry, Inc.P.O. Box 270403
Milwaukee, WI 53227
nik@wisconsincarry.org
About:
Wisconsin Carry, Inc. is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation and reclamation of the rights of law-abiding Wisconsin residents to carry in the manner of their choosing. We believe that “open carry” and “concealed carry” are choices to be made by law-abiding citizens based on their situation and preference. Wisconsin Carry, like many gun-rights organizations in Wisconsin, is investing a great deal of resources to get Wisconsin law changed to allow concealed carry this next legislative session by proposing Constitutional Carry. Wisconsin Carry, Inc. will continue to use legal recourse to deter unlawful treatment of law-abiding Wisconsin residents who currently exercise their right to open carry, and soon will exercise their right to concealed carry in Wisconsin. Visit: www.wisconsincarry.org
