100,000 concealed carry permits issued in just six months



MILWAUKEE -- Wisconsin issued its 100,000th concealed carry permit Friday morning. The new law went into effect only about six months ago.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice is required to process applications within 21 days and has been scrambling to keep up with demand. The DOJ initially hired extra staff and moved dozens of administrative workers from elsewhere in the agency to help with concealed carry applications.

At Fletcher Arms in Waukesha, people who support the concealed carry law understand the responsibility with which it comes.

"If they want to engage in the recreational aspects, great but if they want to get into the more defensive aspects, we can facilitate that too," said Freddie Harris. "But the primary focus of us here is to make sure we complete the mission of making sure everyone is trained properly."

Opponents of concealed carry say the concealed carry law doesn't do enough to prevent violence.

"You may justify it by saying 'it'll save my life' but in actual fact, it doesn't. We know that violence creates more violence and more violence leads to more death and injury," said Don Timmerman.

Timmerman and others from Casa Maria in Milwaukee visit gun shops once a month. They know the law is here to stay. They're not trying to get people to not buy a gun.

Related stories: