Local gunrnge reporting the names of every customer that comes in to police dept.

[Sneakyinshorewood]

I just wanted to pass this on to everyone in Milwaukee so they could know of this interesting situation.


Greetings in Freedom,

Wisconsin Carry has learned of some concerning information that we would like to pass along to our membership and right-to-carry interested folks in southeast Wisconsin.

In a recently published Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article which you can read here:

West Milwaukee gun shop resumes selling weapons - JSOnline

It was reported that the former Badger Guns (now Brew City Shooters Supply) Brew City Shooters Supply Indoor Shooting Range in Milwaukee, WI has, since 2009, been reporting the names of every customer that comes in to use their firing range to the West Milwaukee Police Department. In this time over 25,000 customer names were reported to West Milwaukee Police Chief Dennis Nasci who ran a background check on each through "his system".

So far in 2012 it was reported more than 8,800 customer name records have been supplied to West Milwaukee Police by Brew City Shooters Supply to have a criminal background check run on them. We do not know yet, how else West Milwaukee Police have been using these records they have been given by Brew City Shooters Supply, nor if they are storing those customer names for future reference. We also do not know what other purposes West Milwaukee Police might choose to use these customer name lists for in the future.

Having spoken with members of WCI who frequent Brew City Shooters Supply, though they were aware they signed a liability release to use the range, they were NOT aware in any way that their use of the range was being reported to West Milwaukee Police Department.

Wisconsin Carry does not believe it is the governments business if, when, or how often law-abiding citizens use a firing range. We also believe that if a business is going to report law-abiding activities of customers to local police departments so a background check can be run with no reason or justification, they should be explicitly informing customers of this tactic. Wisconsin Carry rejects the selective intrusion on customers privacy by any business with no reason or cause other than those customers patronage to participate in a legal activity.

Wisconsin Carry rejects the use of public resource to run background checks on law abiding citizens with no probable cause or reasonable suspicion whether those citizens were using a firing range, attending church, going to the grocery store, or stopping in a corner tavern for a cocktail.

We do not know if Brew City Shooters Supply also provided the names of customers who came in to purchase ammunition to West Milwaukee Police.

Wisconsin Carry has made an open records request of the Village of West Milwaukee for any and all information and documents pertaining to this scheme of Brew City Shooters/Badger Guns providing lists of law-abiding customer names to Village of West Milwaukee Police. We will send out updates as more information becomes available as to the extent of the use of that information, whether the rights of law-abiding customers were violated by Brew City Shooters Supply or Village of West Milwaukee Police, and any other details which we believe would be of interest to the law-abiding gun owners of Southeast Wisconsin.

Carry On,

Nik clark
Chairman/President - Wisconsin Carry, Inc.
[email protected]
Welcome to Wisconsin Carry, Inc.
www.facebook.com/groups/wisconsincarry
wisconsincarry (wisconsincarry) on Twitter
Wisconsin Carry, Inc. - YouTube

 

[kingoftow]

I would think that in todays 'gun--antigun' climate that this is or soon will be common practice at a lot of public ranges. Us legal concealed permit holders have nothing to worry about...crimminals on the other hand...beware!

 

[eagleeyes]

i think they do this in florida too seems every gun range and class they take down names and at range have your drivers license too

 

[aluminator]

As much 9mm ammo as I buy online,I'm sure I'm on some lists too.

 

[sixguncowboy]

You all seem apethetic that you're being run through the system everytime you go to a range. In Texas that range would soon be out of business or sold to new owners because there would be no patronage. It is also illegal for any law enforcement agency to run a background check on anyone without good cause, IOWDS working a case involving the subject, or reasonable suspicion that the subject has committed a crime. The activity of the gun range and the PD should be reported to the Attorney General's office as a formal complaint. This smacks of Nazism or communism. Btw, I'm a retired police officer and have a CHL and carry daily anytime I leave my home.

 

[eagleeyes]

well if you want to practice there are only a few ranges around here to do so and they all take your information so unless i drive for hours out to some where i can legally shoot i have no choice here

 

[stingray2100]

Are you serious Kingoftow....!

that activity is breaking your 4A right....!

In this gun / antigun climate we need to be vigilant to the violation of everyones rights...!
who do you think they are going to be coming for first if they outlaw guns on civilians....it will be the lawful citizens...because the criminals do not have them registered...because the criminals do not go thru a background check when they buy guns...!

Are you serious...do you really think this is a good practice?

 

[stingray2100]

eagleeyes...all ranges have your information...that is not the problem...the problem is providing information witout the people concent and knowledge.

that is where the violation is...!

 

[stingray2100]

Sixguncowboy.

Thank for your way of looking at thinks...you know your history.

 

[eagleeyes]

i have no idea what they do with our information so i don't know if they are secretly giving it to law enforcement or government agencies or not . they can easily say they are not when they are for all i know.....or keep the list for future purposes??????????? i don't know all i know is they make me fill out that info each time i go and hold my license till i'm ready to leave

 

[superprincess]

I thought the range took our drivers liscence as identification, in case we had an accident or if someone went
ballistic. I wan't aware of being reported to the police department like we were some kind of criminal.

 

[kerb]

I would think that in todays 'gun--antigun' climate that this is or soon will be common practice at a lot of public ranges. Us legal concealed permit holders have nothing to worry about...crimminals on the other hand...beware!

Never mind that it is a huge invasion of privacy, and borderline underhanded.
I hope the customers of that range find out what they've been doing and they go out of business.

 

[kerb]

well if you want to practice there are only a few ranges around here to do so and they all take your information so unless i drive for hours out to some where i can legally shoot i have no choice here

Are there no gun clubs in your area?

I love my gun club. Open 24/7/365, in a farming community about 30 minutes from my house (decent, down to earth people), with active shooting programs for members and the community. If you want to shoot trap or skeet, you just put the money for the clays you used in an envelope and drop it at the clubhouse before you leave.

100 bucks a year. They don't supply information to anybody, but it's a private club. You have to be sponsored in.

 

[BC1]

I would think that in todays 'gun--antigun' climate that this is or soon will be common practice at a lot of public ranges. Us legal concealed permit holders have nothing to worry about...crimminals on the other hand...beware!

Not at mine. I'm the CRSO and shooters need only provide their first name, time-in and time-out. it's a private club with several hundred shooters. Guests pay $10 for the entire day and are not required to show ID. We merely ask they follow the law.

 

[sixguncowboy]

well if you want to practice there are only a few ranges around here to do so and they all take your information so unless i drive for hours out to some where i can legally shoot i have no choice here

You can find a shooting companion at work, church or some fraternal organization that you belong to that lives in the country and has a few acres and would be glad for you to come out and shoot with him. Or a neighbor that lives down the street may have a friend or relative that has some acerage you can shoot on. Our church association has a church camp that has a small pistol and small bore rifle range they use to teach kids how to shoot and it is open to any church member and their friends to shoot anytime free of charge. There may also be a private shooting club that you don't know about that you could join.

I belong to a cowboy action shooting club and shoot in matches and am welcome to come out and practice anytime I want to. Ask around. It may take a while to find a place to shoot but it can be done. Then quit patronizing these gun shops/ranges. What they are doing may be illegal. Check with the Fla. Dept. of Law Enforcement. They are violating your 4th Amendment rights. Unless you're borrowing or renting their equipment to use at their range such as ear protection, safety glasses, or spoting scopes they have no legal authority or right to hold your license. Ask them why they want the info and why they want to hold your license. Ask your local police and sheriff. If they want it just incase some accident happened while you were using their range and they don't keep the info after you leave that may be legitimate.

"They all take your information" is no excuse. Remember when you were a kid and wanted to do something and your dad said no, you said "Gee dad all the other kids are doing it." What did he say? I bet he said something like "If all the other kids were jumping off a 75' high bridge into the river, would you do it?"

 

[Rocketgeezer]

The two ranges we freqent the most would never ask for our licenses, they do some if there new, now there also is a couple places that do hold your licence while your in the range, but nothing is done with it, I know because I have stood there and watched them, they just put them on a small clipboard with your ticket for ammo/targets, then when you leave you pay and get your licence back, but no ranges around here report jack to the law, if I found out a range was turning your info over to the law, noy only would we quit going there, I would spread it around what they do,

 

[Sneakyinshorewood]

All right. Here is the latest update I recieved on the situation.

This message and the original post are not by me. Also, feel free to check out WCI, or don't. It's all good.

Greetings in Freedom,

Last week Wisconsin Carry sent out an email notice to members and others describing a Milwaukee Gun Range's policy of voluntarily turning over customer names to local police to have background checks run on each one. A copy of that notice can be read here:

Milwaukee Gun Range Voluntarily Reports Law-Abiding Customers To Local Police

In response to feedback from customers and others who received our email, the owner of the range reached out to Wisconsin Carry to discuss their policy.

While we unfortunately cannot report that the range will discontinue its policy of providing customer names to local police for a background check, we do feel an obligation to report a change to the policy.

Brew City Shooters Supply beginning last weekend changed their policy to exclude any customers who have and show a valid concealed carry license from the list of customer names provided to local police. Brew City also relayed that they posted signage that informs customers that West Milwaukee Police run the background check. (previous waivers just indicated that customers were subject to a background check, not who would conduct it)

Wisconsin Carry does not endorse nor advocate for this policy. We reminded Brew City that many law-abiding customers who do not have a concealed carry license but want to practice at a range are still being reported to local police. We reminded Brew City that many citizens eschewed the concealed carry license and government registration that came along with it and instead open-carry legally without a permit. Those customers would still be submitted for background checks to local police. We also reminded Brew City that Wisconsin Carry continues to advocate for, and will hopefully bring constitutional carry to Wisconsin within 5 years time, at which time many Wisconsin carriers will no longer obtain a state license to carry concealed.

Ultimately, it will be up to Brew City's customers, not Wisconsin Carry, to decide if this alteration in their policy is acceptable or not as they make their decisions of which local gun ranges to patronize.

Wisconsin Carry continues to await the results of an open records request we have made of the Village of West Milwaukee Police Department to determine the extent of the use of information obtained about customers of the range, whether WMPD has stored/maintains records of the names of law-abiding customers previously provided, and what system was used by WMPD to conduct these "background checks". We will review this information when it is provided to us and determine if any laws have been broken or citizens rights violated by West Milwaukee Police and provide updates when we have anything noteworthy to pass along.

Carry On,

Nik Clark
Chairman/President - Wisconsin Carry, Inc.
Welcome to Wisconsin Carry, Inc.
[email protected]
Wisconsin Carry, Inc. - YouTube
wisconsincarry (wisconsincarry) on Twitter
www.facebook.com/groups/wisconsincarry

 

[sixguncowboy]

Good on ya Nik. Sik em!! Hope ya hang em high. It appears that Brew City is getting their rand customer to sign a waiver giving WMPD permission to run a background check "Brew City also relayed that they posted signage that informs customers that West Milwaukee Police run the background check. (previous waivers just indicated that customers were subject to a background check, not who would conduct it)." That may or may not be good enough for WMPD to run a local or state check. I do know that it is not to run a federal (FBI) check if the individual is not purchasing a firearm.

 

[Sneakyinshorewood]

I honestly dont agree with their practice and was quite dissapointed when Nik sent me the info and the follow up. I will no longer be using that store or range. It's nobodys right to know what I do with me gun, in my town in the USA. Gun grabbing bs if you ask me.

 

[eagleeyes]

eagleeyes...all ranges have your information...that is not the problem...the problem is providing information witout the people concent and knowledge.

that is where the violation is...!

right stingray but how do i know what they really do with those lists??? for all i know they could be sold to law or government busy bodies being eyes for the big red headed step brother.........