FYI: Shun gun publicly in most cases

Gambling911.com referenced in the Madison, WI Capital Times
 

FYI: Lately everybody's been up in arms over "concealed carry." But what about UNconcealed carry? Both the U.S. and Wisconsin constitutions guarantee the right to keep and bear arms. Does that mean I could be like Marshal Dillon, strap a big gun on my hip and go pretty much anywhere I please, as long as I'm not trying to hide the fact that I'm armed?


-- Richard S. Russell


• "You get a lot further with a kind word and a gun than you do with a kind word alone," is Mr. Russell's new e-mail signature, courtesy of Al Capone.

Capt. Brian Willison of the Dane County Sheriff's Office says the answer depends on the activity the person engages in while armed. "Carrying a gun openly in the woods is legal, provided one has the proper hunting license. Carrying the same gun into a bank, school or other public place is likely to result in a different response (from authorities)."


Associated Press
Ronald with his play gun outside the saloon at high noon: "Reach for the sky, Mr. Gorbachev, but first, tear down that wall."
Willison says that to his knowledge, "other than for employment as a security guard, Wisconsin does not issue firearm permits of any type."

Brian Blanchard, Dane County district attorney, says: "As a general rule, if you are target shooting or lawfully hunting in an area where guns are allowed and expected ... openly carrying and using a gun in a safe manner is not a problem. Doing so would not ordinarily be disorderly conduct under circumstances that tend to cause or provoke a disturbance.

"On the other hand, if you walk down a city street with a handgun on your hip or carrying a long gun, and you are not obviously someone who has the duties and responsibilities of law enforcement, that could easily be a circumstance in which your gun display tends to cause or provoke a disturbance, which is a misdemeanor offense. Madison is not Dodge City and, even in Dodge City, Marshal Dillon wore a big badge."

State statute 941.20 "does not directly address the 'open carry' question," says Blanchard. The law forbids endangering another's safety with a gun, especially if you're under the influence of alcohol or controlled substances.

State law defines disorderly conduct like this: "Whoever, in a public or private place, engages in violent, abusive, indecent, profane, boisterous, unreasonably loud or otherwise disorderly conduct under circumstances in which the conduct tends to cause or provoke a disturbance is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor."

FYI: Are office basketball pools for money illegal? What do business management consultant types say about the advisability of permitting illegal activity on company property and time?

-- March sadness


• It looks like the second question sort of answered the first. And unfortunately, all the management consultant types were out to lunch, so we turn to gambling911.com for resolution. The online gambling site's News Wire asks, and answers:

"Will you be one of the millions of people who place a few dollars in an office pool this March Madness? If you answer 'Yes,' not only will your productivity surely decrease, you are also breaking the law and risk the possibility of having your income and home seized, not to mention a hefty fine and jail time."

The article continues: "It's doubtful the FBI will be raiding your office any time soon as a result of an NCAA brackets contest that probably eight out of every 10 offices across the United States enjoy as part of the workplace environment this time of year. We even suspect a few law enforcement agencies are running their own office pools here and there. Office pools have become a part of the workplace reality even for those who have no clue what teams are playing."

FYI: Is revenge a dish best served hot or cold?

-- Citronella


• Lukewarm, as a rule, but rules are made to be broken.

But however it's brought to the table, first consider an appetizer of resentment, a dish best served hot, swimming in a rich sauce of self-pity.

For dessert, consider some sweet payback (not to be confused with fatback, which is much more cholesterol-laden), good as a quick snack.

-----

Copyright 2006 The Capital Times
Freelance writers retain the copyright for their work that appears on this site.

Originally published March 20, 2006 8:46 pm ET