State Rep. Jesse Kremer, R-Kewaskum, said in a blog post that “there is an additional tool that state lawmakers have been denying parents and schools–the ability to utilize concealed carry if they so choose.”
Kremer said parents should hold politicians accountable for students’ safety.
“I feel that elected officials will be personally responsible if they continue to prevent a school from utilizing every security resource available to them,” he wrote. “It is high time that Madison politics get out of the way of your child’s safety at school.”
A volunteer firefighter, Kremer compared the need for concealed carry to educating children about fire hazards. Fire safety classes, he said, have greatly reduced deaths amongst children and he argued broader concealed carry could similarly combat school shootings.
“Fire safety should be awarded a passing grade,” he said. “Which begs the question, what grade should we assign to the security of our nation’s schools? What safety measures are in place at your child’s schools to dissuade or stop an active shooter?”
Kremer commented in response to an early version of the story clarifying that the release was in relation to an upcoming event regarding concealed carry at private and parochial schools.
Kremer authored a bill last session which would allow those with a concealed carry permit to bring a firearm onto UW System campuses and inside university buildings.
In his comment, Kremer
That bill, which did not receive a hearing last session, was opposed by Chancellor Rebecca Blank, the UW-Madison Police Department and student leaders on the grounds that it could make
“The UW-Madison Police Department and the University of Wisconsin-Madison support existing state law, which appropriately balances individual rights with community safety,” Marc Lovicott, the public information officer for UWPD, said at the time.
Kremer also was a co-author of a bill which would similarly expand concealed carry at public K-12 schools in Wisconsin. That bill also did not receive a committee hearing.
UPDATE, 9:22 p.m.: This story has been updated with a response from Kremer and to clarify that both bills discussed did not receive a vote in committee last session.
