Willie Hines
Press Release

Sheriff Clarke’s gun rights diatribe disappointing in the wake of tragedy

Sheriff Clarke’s gun rights diatribe disappointing in the wake of tragedy

By - Dec 19th, 2012 10:00 am

While our hearts and prayers go out to every family affected by the horrific massacre at a school in Connecticut last week, we owe it to them to work together as a nation and find ways to prevent something like this from ever happening again. Leaders like President Obama have put forward a vision for critical changes in which lawmakers from all political backgrounds should see the wisdom.

But locally, it seems Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke would rather divide than unite, would rather foster fear than inspire hope, and would rather ridicule the notion of peace instead of promoting it. His rambling diatribe on a “tea party” website this week, wherein he calls for posting armed guards in every school and describes the victims of last week’s shooting as “sheep,” should make every resident of the county uneasy.

I was appalled to see Sheriff Clarke’s over-the-top comments in print. His is the kind of toxic rhetoric that would further divide the nation, and he spews it simply to advance his own extreme political agenda.

This tragedy exposes gaping loopholes in our system of background checks, gun registration, training for firearms owners and requirements for the proper, secure storage of weapons. Mounting headlines involving assault weapons and high-capacity clips should serve as a wake-up call, not an opportunity to settle political scores.

I firmly believe our Constitution is a brilliant document and respect the need for protecting our Second Amendment right to bear arms. But most Americans understand that doesn’t mean unfettered access to weapons of mass destruction. They want to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, the mentally ill and those prone to violence. They reject the status quo of 10,000 gun deaths a year.

It’s time to get to work representing their interests, and Sheriff Clarke isn’t helping.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

Mentioned in This Press Release

Recent Press Releases by Willie Hines

Willie Hines

President Hines to vacate Common Council seat

Common Council President Willie L. Hines, Jr., who has served as Milwaukee’s 15th District Alderman since 1996 and Council president since 2004, announced today that he is resigning his seat on the Council effective tomorrow, February 1, 2014.

Willie Hines

Statement of Common Council President Willie L. Hines, Jr.

President Hines statement about Alderman Jim Bohl.

Willie Hines

Priorities and services maintained in Council-approved 2014 budget

The 2014 amended city budget approved today by the Milwaukee Common Council addresses key priorities and maintains quality city services at current levels.

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us