Ban on concealed weapons continues to serve state well

The debate over a proposal to permit citizens to carry concealed weapons has renewed the debate over how far any of us should go in defending ourselves from harm. As on many issues, Catholic thought and teaching can be help us frame our views, even as the stance we take is left to our prudential judgment.

One may start by asking, are we well served by our current law that bans the carrying of concealed weapons in public?

As we answer that question, we should note that our current law is not new, nor was it adopted during a frenzy of 1960s' liberal activism. Rather, it was enacted in 1872, when Jesse James was still robbing banks and nearly two decades before the Wisconsin historian Frederick Jackson Turner wrote his famous essay on the end of the American frontier. Wisconsin has remained a safe place in the 130 years since.

On the other hand, 45 other states permit concealed weapons. Most of us have vacationed in such states and we probably have not seen gun fights in the streets, unless it's been a re-enactment of a famous shoot out like that at the OK Corral.

The Catechism affirms that individuals, like nations, possess the right of self-defense. But, like all our rights, this right is conditioned. Nations and individuals alike must exercise defense in the least lethal way possible. They must also do so with respect for the legitimate rights of others.

We should also consider that peace is built on respect for the rights of other people. This includes recognizing that every other nation possesses the same right of self-defense. Our nation does not presume a right to wage war or occupy nations who pose no threat to us. While the United States maintains military installations on foreign soil, this is done by treaty with the knowledge and consent of the host nations. The United States does not assert for itself, nor does it grant to others, the right to introduce weaponry into a sovereign nation with which we are at peace without its knowledge and consent.

In such a context, the provision of the "conceal and carry" proposal that permits individuals to take guns into the homes of others raises serious concerns. It is one thing for an individual to possess a concealed weapon in his home or business.

It is another to secretly introduce that weapon into the home of a neighbor who may wish to secure the safety of his home by keeping it "weapons free."

For an individual to claim the right to bring a weapon into his neighbor's house without his knowledge or consent is as problematic as if our nation asserts that right against Canada or Mexico or any other nation.

As we consider the issue of whether to carry concealed weapons outside the home or workplace, it might also be useful to recall what the Catechism has to say about the role of weapons in securing peace.

On this subject, the Catechism reminds us that the arms race itself, far from eliminating the causes of war, can risk aggravating them. Thus it seems appropriate that concealed weapons are best not introduced into churches, schools, childcare centers, hospitals and other public places.

Rather, private rights and public peace are better served by honoring two presumptions. One that a citizen may use concealed weapons to defend his own home and property. And, two, that we may not introduce weapons into the homes of others or in public places.

Is this perfect? No. But it seems consistent with the way we are expected to foster peace instead of strife, and trust instead of fear. It also retains the key elements of a law that has served us well since 1872.

(Huebscher is executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, the civil arm of the state's five diocesan bishops. Its website is www.wisconsincatholic.org.)