MONROE - Concealed carry permit holders will not be restricted from carrying their weapons into city buildings, following a meeting of the city's Judiciary and Ordinance Review Committee Monday.
The committee voted 2-1 to delay any action on posting a ban on concealed weapons in city-controlled buildings, with Tyler Schultz and Chris Beer voting in favor and Sara Conway voting against the motion.
Committee Chairman Charles Koch recommended the committee delay action and not post any ban "until such time as we have more history on it," after learning that legal reviews of the state's concealed carry law were mixed regarding how much immunity from liability would be granted if the city posted a ban.
Whether city employees will be allowed to carry a concealed weapon must be taken up by the Salary and Personnel Committee as a separate issue, according to City Clerk Carol Stamm.
Current city policy does not allow employees to have a weapon at work. But results of an internal survey late last year showed city employees responded 45 to 8 in favor of being allowed to carry concealed weapons if the public is allowed to carry concealed weapons into public buildings. They had responded 40 to 13 against the Common Council allowing concealed weapons to be carried into public buildings.
The committee voted 2-to-1 in November, with Schultz voting against and Koch not voting, to have an ordinance drafted and, eventually, buildings posted, to prevent weapons being carried into public buildings.
But on Monday, Beer said she had used the intervening time to reconsider the ban.
"The more I think about this, the people with concealed carry permits are not the people you're going to be concerned about. The people going to the trouble to get a permit are not the ones who are going to cause problems."
Koch agreed. "Those without a concealed carry permit are not going to care about the law anyway," he said. "(Posting a ban) isn't going to mean anything to them."
Conway, a Green County Sheriff Deputy, disagreed. "My concern is about going on a call," she added. Conway explained that a call for a "man with a gun" at city hall would leave officers unsure about which man with a gun is the problem, if several people were armed.
"It's just another way of looking at it," she said.
Conway also raised the possibility of more accidental discharge, if more people were carrying a firearm.
Committee members asked one city employee in attendance at the meeting, City Treasurer Cathy Maurer, if she would carry a concealed weapon is allowed.
Maurer said she had gone through a concealed carry class, one of the state requirements for issuing a concealed carry permit.
"We have no cameras, no panic button, no security glass, so if someone came in, I'd like to protect myself," she said. "People come in angry all the time."
Police Chief Fred Kelley noted that 49 of the 50 states allowed concealed carry, and 45 states have banned weapons in some public buildings.
Metal detectors cost a lot of money; access into and out of buildings would have to be restricted to one entrance; and even banks have become more open than in the past, he noted.
"If you wanted to spend some money on safety glass or a booth, I'd put my money there. It's hard to prevent people from coming in with a weapon," he said.
"A ban, will it stop someone from coming in? Nope," he added.
The committee voted 2-1 to delay any action on posting a ban on concealed weapons in city-controlled buildings, with Tyler Schultz and Chris Beer voting in favor and Sara Conway voting against the motion.
Committee Chairman Charles Koch recommended the committee delay action and not post any ban "until such time as we have more history on it," after learning that legal reviews of the state's concealed carry law were mixed regarding how much immunity from liability would be granted if the city posted a ban.
Whether city employees will be allowed to carry a concealed weapon must be taken up by the Salary and Personnel Committee as a separate issue, according to City Clerk Carol Stamm.
Current city policy does not allow employees to have a weapon at work. But results of an internal survey late last year showed city employees responded 45 to 8 in favor of being allowed to carry concealed weapons if the public is allowed to carry concealed weapons into public buildings. They had responded 40 to 13 against the Common Council allowing concealed weapons to be carried into public buildings.
The committee voted 2-to-1 in November, with Schultz voting against and Koch not voting, to have an ordinance drafted and, eventually, buildings posted, to prevent weapons being carried into public buildings.
But on Monday, Beer said she had used the intervening time to reconsider the ban.
"The more I think about this, the people with concealed carry permits are not the people you're going to be concerned about. The people going to the trouble to get a permit are not the ones who are going to cause problems."
Koch agreed. "Those without a concealed carry permit are not going to care about the law anyway," he said. "(Posting a ban) isn't going to mean anything to them."
Conway, a Green County Sheriff Deputy, disagreed. "My concern is about going on a call," she added. Conway explained that a call for a "man with a gun" at city hall would leave officers unsure about which man with a gun is the problem, if several people were armed.
"It's just another way of looking at it," she said.
Conway also raised the possibility of more accidental discharge, if more people were carrying a firearm.
Committee members asked one city employee in attendance at the meeting, City Treasurer Cathy Maurer, if she would carry a concealed weapon is allowed.
Maurer said she had gone through a concealed carry class, one of the state requirements for issuing a concealed carry permit.
"We have no cameras, no panic button, no security glass, so if someone came in, I'd like to protect myself," she said. "People come in angry all the time."
Police Chief Fred Kelley noted that 49 of the 50 states allowed concealed carry, and 45 states have banned weapons in some public buildings.
Metal detectors cost a lot of money; access into and out of buildings would have to be restricted to one entrance; and even banks have become more open than in the past, he noted.
"If you wanted to spend some money on safety glass or a booth, I'd put my money there. It's hard to prevent people from coming in with a weapon," he said.
"A ban, will it stop someone from coming in? Nope," he added.