KENOSHA, Wis. — The Kenosha County Board voted 14-7 to lift the ban on concealed carry in certain county properties Tuesday night.
About 30 people spoke on both sides of the issue during public comment, which lasted close to two hours.
The chairman made an announcement at the beginning of the meeting asking people to behave after a man was arrested during the public comment section at the meeting two weeks ago.
The county properties in question does not include the jail, the courthouse, or the safety building to name a few.
Kenosha already allows concealed carry in its properties. People came out strongly on both sides of the issue, and some brought up the mass shooting in Uvalde and Highland Park.
"If we allow all the guns in, and if something happens, especially being part of law enforcement, and I don't know if everyone would agree, but if you're coming to a situation, you won't know if they're friend or foe," said James Simmons, a Lake County Sheriff's deputy. He says he patrols Highland Park.
"The average police response times are about four to five minutes. Personally I would not want to wait that long just for them to arrive. I can't imagine what it would be like to see them waiting outside. The workers of our county and municipal government should have the same right to protection as everyone else," a public commenter named Matthew said.
