I am a police officer with the Racine Police Department and a part-time police officer for another community in Racine County. This is strictly my opinion and I am not speaking on behalf of the communities or law enforcement agencies that employ me.

The Wisconsin law against carrying a concealed firearm has worked effectively for over 130 years. Deciding to pass a concealed carry law in Wisconsin that will allow almost every adult to carry a concealed firearm is a potentially dangerous decision.

Carrying a concealed firearm and deciding to shoot another human being is different from what is perceived on television, in the movies or while playing a video game. Allowing Wisconsin residents to carry concealed firearms may not reduce crime. If anything, crime may increase and there will be, without a doubt, more firearms in our homes and on our streets.

I strongly support the ability for people to defend themselves, but I don’t believe that carrying a concealed firearm is the only way to accomplish this. There are a lot of responsibilities that come with carrying a concealed firearm and being able to effectively use it against someone in their self-defense or in the defense of another human being.

I agree that retired law enforcement professionals should be permitted to carry a concealed firearm as long as they follow state and federal laws and those policies presented to them by their former law enforcement agencies.

I believe that there is no credible evidence that carrying a concealed firearm reduces crime and that passing a concealed carry law in Wisconsin will do more harm than good.