Inside Baseball: A First-Hand Perspective from the Front Lines of Gun Rights

By Nik Clark // 08/15/2018I remember as a kid, after random childhood disappointments, I would often complain that something “wasn’t fair.” This lament usually netted a response from my mom along the lines of, “Get used to it. Life isn’t fair,” but I never accepted that explanation. If something isn’t fair, make it fair. If something isn’t right, make it right. Anything less seemed nonsensical.

The other predominant complaint that I used to levy at my mom was that, “I am bored.” Sitting around, doing nothing … I couldn’t stand it. I always had to be doing something. I think that was the recipe — a passionate sense of fairness and making things right combined with a burning desire to always be doing something. It’s a safe conclusion that being an activist is in my DNA.

Now, 30-plus years later, I can say that my mom was right: Life isn’t always fair, and things are not always as they should be. As the president of Wisconsin Carry, Inc. (WCI), I still haven’t given up trying to drive change. On a daily basis, we seek to find others who share that desire.

The Good Old Days?

Many reflect on the circumstances in their lives that brought them into the concealed carry movement. Some people were raised in freedom-loving, firearms-owning families. Others joined the carry movement as the result of life-changing moments in which they were exposed to circumstances when crime and personal safety weren’t just topics they heard discussed on the nightly news but realities they had to confront.

For many, firearms and carry became moral imperatives after the experience of having kids and instantly feeling the parental burden of being the providers for and protectors of their children.

My stepdad introduced me to hunting at a young age. I enjoyed the pursuit of game and the power of shotguns and rifles as well as the reverence and care that handling a firearm required. From following firearms safety rules to the precision of a well-placed shot to cleaning the guns at the end of the season (the smell of Hoppes No. 9 still triggers fond memories), there is so much to like about guns. America owes its existence to patriots and guns. Patriots with guns. Do you think that message is still communicated in public schools across this country? In elementary school, I was particularly fond of stories of the birth of our nation, from the Pilgrims to Paul Revere and George Washington. Have you ever stopped to consider the foundational role firearms played in our country’s founding, survival and success? Guns, in the hands of honest, everyday citizens, provided protection for families, put protein-rich food on the table and, most importantly, secured our country’s independence. The pioneers and settlers of this country, as well as our Founding Fathers, would not have survived without the incredible services that guns provided.

America owes its existence to patriots and guns. Patriots with guns. Do you think that message is still communicated in public schools across this country? Many of us have heard stories from our grandfathers about taking guns to school in the first half of the 20th century and leaving school to go hunting before returning home for dinner.

How did we go from such a welcoming gun culture to a place where you get punished for using your fingers as a make-believe gun on the playground or suspended for chewing a Pop-Tart into the shape of a gun in the school cafeteria? The right to carry, and American gun-related heritage in general, has been under attack in this country for the past 50 years, and it’s taken activism, lobbying and a strong grassroots cultural push to restore that heritage.

Get In The Fight

In 2011, after more than a decade of effort, Wisconsin became the 49th state to legalize concealed carry. The struggles we faced in Wisconsin mirrored those faced in states across the country. Accomplishments are one thing; the challenges we continue to be up against in Wisconsin exist in every state across the country.

Just a few weeks ago, I watched a YouTube video posted by an Iowa gun rights leader. As I listened to his frustrations with the legislative process and Republican leadership, I could have substituted “Wisconsin” for “Iowa.” With virtually every revelation, he could have been referring to my home state, and I suspect that is the case in dozens of states across the country. As I go into more detail about Wisconsin Carry’s efforts and strategies, please remember that other non-NRA-affiliated, state-based groups across the country carry out a similar mission.

WCI is an all-volunteer organization founded in 2009 and supported by dues-paying members. The passage of concealed carry in Wisconsin in 2011 wasn’t the end of an effort but only the beginning. Wisconsin Carry takes an “all-of-the-above” approach to protecting and expanding gun rights in Wisconsin, including grassroots legislative activism, public relations, education and litigation.

On a day-to-day basis, Wisconsin Carry deals with dozens of issues, from remaining available for media interviews in response to current events to responding to circumstances brought to our attention by members and the general public to assisting concealed carry license holders in obtaining the return of their guns after police seizures. We also offer free concealed carry license training classes, promote the right to carry through social media, establish precedent by litigating important gunrights issues and advocate for gun rights legislation at the state level.