“What was supposed to be a gentle promotional stroll along the Sheboygan lakefront Friday morning by the state’s first lady, became a bit more concerning to those attending when a local gun-rights advocate showed up with a semi-automatic rifle strapped to his back and a holstered pistol hanging from his waist,” sheboyganpress.com reports. Reading that lead, clocking the pic above, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this is another story about an open carry advocate carrying a firearm in a place at a time calculated to cause concern amongst the gun muggles. The following sentences by reporter Jane Roberts do nothing to dispel that impression . . .
Bill Polster, of Sheboygan Falls, said his intention in bringing the AK-47, a Glock and a Ruger LCP pistol to Wisconsin First Lady Tonette Walker’s visit to Sheboygan onFriday was not to scare anyone, but rather to exercise his Second Amendment rights.
“People have the right to self defense and there are so many people that don’t realize that carrying a weapon is legal in Wisconsin,” Polster said.
Polster has become a recognizable fixture in the region, often showing up at farmers markets, parades and even movie theaters and other public events to make the point that it is legal in Wisconsin to openly carry a properly licensed firearm.
Huh. So Pollster hasn’t done anything dangerous or threatening (other than carrying a gun, per se) with his legally carried firearms. A fact that writer Roberts reluctantly recalls.
While some people find it troubling, it’s not illegal and police are not concerned.
“I’ve had 10 encounters with the police in the last year. The more I do it the less I get stopped, at least locally,” Polster said.
One media report said that Walker’s visit was delayed about 15 minutes by Polster’s presence, but Sgt. David Anderson with the Sheboygan Police Department said one officer was on hand for the first lady’s visit and that no extra security measures were taken.
Huh. So open carry around Wisconsin’s First Lady is A-Ok with everyone, right? ‘Cause nothing about this story would indicate otherwise. Except this . . .
Polster joined in the walk after stashing his weapons in the trunk of his car.
That factoid emerges in paragraph ten of Gun rights advocate joins state’s first lady on Sheboygan stroll and, if I’m not mistaken, removes any reason to run the story in the first place. Unless The Sheboygan Press views open carry as so profoundly dangerous that they consider the possibility of an open carry advocate openly carrying a firearm near the Eat Cheese or Die State’s first lady merits journalistic attention. That couldn’t be it, could it? ‘Cause that makes no sense.