A 911 call from a woman concerned about five people opening wearing handguns in holsters outside a Madison (Wisc.) restaurant ended with the police dispatcher explaining the state’s open-carry law, and with the woman saying, “Then there is no problem and it’s not an emergency. Even so, eight MPD officers were dispatched to the restaurant, and ultimately arrested members of the Wisconsin Carry Inc. (WCI) group when they failed to identify themselves. The group was formed to promote the state law that allows citizens to carry holstered, unconcealed and loaded firearms in non-sensitive locations, the so-called “open carry” law. The arrests sparked criticism from the WCI and public debate over the law. The WCI notes that neither the caller or others present noted any disturbance, threatening behavior or other violation of law. Four minutes into the call the dispatcher explained the open-carry law, prompting the caller to declare the situation was “no problem.” Madison police later dropped the failure-to-ID charges, but the district attorney then charged the men with disorderly conduct. The police department issued a press release that seems to say officers will respond to every report a person with a holstered weapon to investigate if it’s being properly carried and the person has the right to possess a firearm. Chief Noble Wray also issued instructions to officers on handling such incidents, including checking each firearm serial number against the NCIC stolen property database. Read the WCI’s response to the arrests, read the MPD’s press release., and listen to the 911 call below.
3 comments… add one
Such gun hysteria in this country. What a waste of police resources in this case.
Imagine the flipside of this scenario. If the caller called 911 because of people carrying weapons in a public place, and then one of those armed people ended up using the weapon in a crime, the public would be questioning why no one was dispatched.
This is the problem with open carry laws. They specifically allow people to display weapons in situations where there’s no legitimate reason to have a weapon displayed. How can we tell the difference between a carrier who’s following the law and a carrier who’s about to commit a robbery or a murder?
Steve, If you actually think a criminal is going to openly carry their weapon then the store that is selling you your logic is ripping you off. The last thing a criminal will do is display their weapon since they lose the advantage of surprise. Open carry is the only legal way for a lawful citizen in WI to protect themselves and others. Furthermore, Open carry gives bad guys the advantage of knowing who to watch out for, and the open carrier a disadvantage since the bad guy is going to conceal carry, which is illegal in WI at present.
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