After a 2-year-old boy was shot in the back while watching cartoons on TV, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett and Police Chief Edward Flynn urged citizens to help police confiscate guns and pressured state legislators to pass new gun laws, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The officials want a state law that would make it a felony for someone who illegally carries a firearm, and to change the law that allows a habitual offender to get a gun permit. “In this state, no matter how many times a person is illegally carrying a firearm, it is a misdemeanor,” Flynn said. “It is not risky to be arrested for a misdemeanor. Our criminal community learns nothing from the experience, to be caught by the cops with a firearm.”
“Right now, understandably, legislators don’t want to touch gun laws because then it’s a visit to Crazy Town,” Flynn said. “And they are worried about that.” He said opponents of gun legislation put intense pressure on legislators and are well-financed. “We’ve got to change that calculation,” he said. Laurel Patrick, Gov. Scott Walker’s press secretary, said that “Gov. Walker is willing to work with law enforcement and other interested parties to keep illegal guns out of the hands of criminals.”