Lee Pulaski, lpulaski@wolfrivermedia.com
The Shawano County Board amended its weapons policy Wednesday by a 24-3 vote, removing the fairgrounds from the list of prohibited county-owned areas and adding the two buildings where the Human Services Department operates.
The fairgrounds had originally been removed from one paragraph of the original ordinance passed in 2012 listing prohibited places, but language remained in two other paragraphs, which made the fairgrounds a prohibited zone.
The Fellman Center and the Lakeland Center were not part of the 2012 debate, but employees in those buildings have expressed concern about someone unstable carrying firearms into the buildings and trying to harm or kill people.
Signs are up in those buildings, just as they are in other places where weapons are prohibited — courthouse, jail, work release center and sheriff’s office. However, they were not officially listed in the county ordinance.
“Weapons do not belong in those buildings. It’s that simple,” said Rick Kane, human services director. “We have a very fragile group of people that come in, and I want some sign up there that says ‘No guns allowed.’ That might make the difference between someone carrying a gun and somebody not.”
Supervisor Bonnie Olson was the lone no vote when the ordinance amendment came before the Human Services Board. She proposed an amendment at the County Board meeting to eliminate the Lakeland and Fellman centers from the prohibited areas; the amendment failed.
Olson said that no one really knows how many people are carrying weapons into any building, due to the state’s concealed carry firearms laws. She feared that any signs prohibiting weapons would only stop law-abiding citizens.
“To me, when you restrict law-abiding citizens from carrying in those buildings, it makes no sense,” Olson said.
Supervisor Richard Ferfecki, who also sits on the Human Services Board, said the ban was necessary. He spoke with some employees who feared for their lives or the lives of their clients if the buildings were not off-limits to weapons.
“We’re dealing with a different situation,” Ferfecki said. “What happens if an unstable person grabs hold of a weapon and starts shooting, and two minutes before the police get there, he can do away with a lot of people. It’s just common sense that these buildings should be posted (off limits to weapons).”
Supervisor Deb Noffke argued that signs prohibiting weapons would give unstable scofflaws an idea of where to go to cause harm.
“What kind of sign would you like? ‘Attention, nutcases. The law abiding citizens have been disarmed for your convenience,’” Noffke said.