President Barack Obama recently pledged to use executive action (fact sheet here) requiring, among other things, licensing of the dealer and background checks on the purchaser on all gun sales in the United States. This executive action is clearly designed to make it much harder for criminals to obtain firearms.
Now, Scott Walker, the Governor of Wisconsin and a failed Republican presidential candidate who dropped out after his own party firmly rejected him on the national stage, is asking Brad Schimel, the Republican Attorney General of Wisconsin, to sue the federal government in an attempt to overturn the president’s executive actions.
Should federal courts side with Walker and Schimel, it would, once again, be ridiculously easy for a known criminal or someone else who is not legally allowed to possess a firearm to obtain a gun and kill people. For example, in 2012, Zina Haughton and two of her co-workers were shot and killed at a Brookfield, Wisconsin spa by her estranged husband, who purchased a gun online despite being under a restraining order that legally prohibited him from possessing a firearm. Had there been a strictly-enforced requirement of background checks on all gun sales in 2012, Zina Haughton would almost certainly be alive today.
Scott Walker and his far-right political allies in Wisconsin want to make it easier for criminals and others who shouldn’t be allowed to possess firearms to obtain firearms. That is absolutely asinine, and the vast majority of Americans think that it’s asinine as well.
The Progressive Midwesterner 
Hello Aaron! I’m a lifelong Wisconsin resident, and an ardent Progressive! I’ve attended the “Fighting Bob LaFollette” events, to help the Green Party in Wisconsin. I agree with many of your viewpoints, but I can tell you this: Wisconsin is big on “religion”. Why do you think Scott Walker got elected? Because Republicans claim to be “anti-abortion” and “pro-life” (we both know that’s simply to attract the Catholic vote). You may have a hard time here running for Governor in 2018 as an “atheist”. I would leave your views on religion out of your campaign entirely. For one, it’s nobody’s business but your own. And might I add, your views imply a spirituality that is far from “atheist”. I too am a spiritual person, and this is what drives me to be a Progressive. I believe in the equality of all people, and their right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. You and I share many core beliefs, and if there is any way I can be of assistance to you, I would be glad to help!
Take care, and have a good weekend!
Mark Weitkum
Racine, Wisconsin
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I probably won’t run for public office in any state (whether it be Wisconsin, my current home state of Illinois, or any other jurisdiction) in the near future, although it’s something that I’d never completely rule out, and I’ll likely move to Wisconsin at some point in my lifetime (which will probably be many years from now). Sometimes, I’ll float the idea of considering running for public office in Illinois or Wisconsin either out of anger or to draw attention to my blog (usually the former, since I tend to get angry often), but I really don’t see myself running for public office at any point in my lifetime.
Anyways, thanks for reading my blog!
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