Tim Ryan, tryan@shawanoleader.com
There appears to be a lot of interest in carrying a concealed weapon in Shawano, judging by the response to the Police Department training being offered Saturday.
The four-hour course, which starts at 8 a.m., is filled, with 30 people signed up, but Chief Mark Kohl said another course will probably be offered next month.
“Obviously, it’s something that the citizens of Shawano and the Shawano area want,” he said.
Kohl, who took over the Shawano department in April, previously taught similar courses in Calumet, Waupaca and Waushara counties.
Carrying a concealed weapon requires a permit, and getting that permit requires some training.
Wearing a weapon openly requires no permit and no training, and is a state constitutional right, Kohl said.
“You could strap on your pistol and carry around your shotgun or rifle if it’s out in the open,” Kohl said. “But in some parts of the state, it may tend to shock the consciousness of the neighborhood and its citizens. People may not normally see that, so they call the police.”
The requirement for a concealed carry permit is mainly because, “if you can hide it, you can go places where they shouldn’t be (carried),” Kohl said.
Kohl said his goal in offering the class is to ensure that concealed weapons carriers are properly informed about the law, which doesn’t happen at some other training opportunities, such as some hunter safety classes or “some hourlong program where they blessed them that they had some firearms training.”
The course that Kohl will lead Saturday includes information from the Department of Justice.
“I want to give them exactly what the attorney general wants them to be informed about, what the laws are, those type of things,” Kohl said.
That will include a lesson on the state’s so-called Castle Doctrine, which differs in some respects from Stand Your Ground laws in other states.
Using a weapon under the Castle Doctrine requires a belief that death or great bodily harm is imminent and no other recourse, such as fleeing, is available.
“It’s not automatic that someone walks in and you just shoot them,” Kohl said. “If you can flee and get out of there and report it, do that.”
Kohl also said deadly force cannot be used in situations where only property is at stake.
Kohl conceded that he initially was against the concealed carry law, mainly because at first there were no guidelines for training. He said he is now an advocate “if they indeed take the training.”
Kohl said he likes the training required in Utah and Nevada, which involves eight-hour courses that include showing proficiency on a shooting range.
“In Wisconsin, you just have to show you can unload it and make it safe,” he said. “There are no weapon handling skills.”
“I’m not so sure that everyone should possess a weapon,” Kohl said. “Some people aren’t capable emotionally or physically to possess that weapon. Some are so shocked by the explosion and the recoil. They’re in fear of the weapon.”
Kohl said he recommended those people get a weapon that would be a little more manageable for them, such as a .22 caliber pistol.