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Committee asks corp counsel to draft ordinance on firearms in county buildings after open-carry incident
Summary
After a visitor entered a county office openly carrying a firearm, the committee directed corp counsel to draft ordinance language addressing members of the public bringing firearms into county buildings; corp counsel cited Wis. Stat. § 941.235 as prohibiting open carry in government buildings.
An incident in which an individual visited a Vernon County office openly carrying a firearm prompted the General Government Committee on Nov. 5 to ask corp counsel to draft ordinance language restricting public firearms in county buildings.
Corp Counsel Swayne told the committee that "Wis. Stat. § 941.235 prohibits the open carry of firearms in government buildings." Supervisors discussed the difference between statutory limits and additional local policy, cautioned about staff interactions with armed members of the public, and considered whether county policy should differentiate between staff and members of the public.
Supervisor Lawler moved and Supervisor Eggen seconded a motion directing corp counsel to draft ordinance language for review at the committee’s December meeting. The committee approved the motion on a voice vote.
Committee members asked staff to consider revisions to workplace violence policy 707 and flagged the need for clear guidance about whether and how county employees should report or respond to armed visitors. The motion instructs corp counsel to prepare proposed ordinance language for the committee to review next month.
