imported post
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/68884257.html
I know this has been discussed before, but I thought it prudent to bring it up again.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/68884257.html
Milwaukee council asks state to toughen gun laws By Larry Sandler of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Nov. 3, 2009 12:06 p.m.
Milwaukee aldermen called Tuesday for the Legislature to toughen gun laws - including some changes aimed at a controversial gun shop just outside the city limits.
The Common Council urged lawmakers to adopt legislation that would require felons to stay 1,000 feet away from gun stores, shooting ranges and gun shows, and that would declare "straw buying" of guns to be a felony and failure to report stolen guns a crime.
Those measures came partly in response to concerns about firearms sold at Badger Guns of West Milwaukee. For years, Badger has been a leading supplier of guns used in crimes, including the weapons that wounded all six Milwaukee police officers shot in the past two years.
The Journal Sentinel has highlighted those issues in a series of stories.
Because felons are prohibited from buying guns, they sometimes use associates with clean records to purchase firearms for them, a practice known as "straw buying." That's a misdemeanor under state law and a felony under federal law.
Since 2007, 21 of 27 federal straw-buying cases in the Milwaukee area involved guns bought at Badger Guns or its predecessor, Badger Outdoors. An undercover investigation by Milwaukee police found continuing indications of straw buying at Badger, with felons freely entering the store and even using the firing range to practice shooting.
In some cases, straw buyers claim their guns have been stolen, which is why Mayor Tom Barrett and his allies want to require that stolen guns be reported to police.
Badger owner Adam Allan has said he tries to prevent straw buying and that his store's proximity to Milwaukee is the reason for its prominence in crime gun statistics. But a nearby store in West Allis has sold far fewer crime guns and has not been involved in as many straw-buying cases.
Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn and Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm recently split with Barrett by recommending the package of gun crime legislation include legalization of carrying concealed weapons, with tough penalties for anyone carrying a concealed gun without a permit. Wisconsin and Illinois are the only states that prohibit concealed carry.
But the package backed by the council does not include that measure, and instead calls for elevating second and subsequent concealed-carry offenses to felonies.
In other action, the council:
• Approved an agreement to borrow $48 million for Milwaukee Public Schools projects. The council previously gave preliminary approval to borrow up to $53 million, with federal stimulus funds picking up the interest payments, and further action is still needed to issue the bonds. This deal specifies which projects would be funded, particularly new science labs and maintenance for aging schools.
• Tightened standards for no-bid contracts. Current ordinances require council approval for such contracts if they exceed $50,000, but administrators can amend smaller contracts later to increase their amounts. Tuesday's action require the council's Finance & Personnel Committee to approve amendments that boost no-bid contracts past the $50,000 limit. The measure follows revelations that a no-bid contract was repeatedly amended to pay a former police captain more than $600,000 for a malfunctioning computer system.
• Set up a business improvement district along S. 27th St. in both Milwaukee and Greenfield, the first time such a district has reached across municipal boundaries. A separate district along S. Kinnickinnic Ave. in Bay View also won approval.
• Authorized a $23,973 settlement with former Police Officer Gregory Koestering, who was fired on accusations that he beat a handcuffed suspect in 2005. The Fire & Police Commission upheld his firing twice, but the first ruling was overturned by a judge, and the city was required to pay Koestering's salary and benefits until the second ruling. Koestering has already received his back pay; the settlement covers his benefits, with interest.
• Leased space in a city parking garage, 1118 N. 4th St., to a new restaurant that will be run by two local businessman, including the owner of Rosie's Waterworks, 1111 N. Water St. The space has been empty since the former tenant, Game Time, closed last year.
I know this has been discussed before, but I thought it prudent to bring it up again.