WATERTOWN, Wis. — Wisconsin’s concealed-carry and open-carry laws mean people will be able to have guns within blocks of the Republican National Convention next month.
“Just don’t do anything that could be considered a threat to our community. It will not, it will not be tolerated,” Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said at a Friday press conference laying out the security plan.
“We have the understanding and respect for those who are carrying concealed or carrying open carry. It’s about behaviors.”
The chief, who has applied for the top cop job in Austin, Texas, was emphatic about not tolerating disorder with guns only banned in a small perimeter around the event.
Violence in Milwaukee peaked in 2022, and Norman is credited with helping bring down homicides by 40%.
Milwaukee police officers shot two teenagers Thursday, killing an unborn baby, after chasing a vehicle on a major city thoroughfare wanted in connection with two carjacking incidents.
During the joint city and Secret Service presser, Nick DeSiato, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s chief of staff and former police chief of staff, said that more than a hundred individuals and organizations have signed up to demonstrate during the convention — and so far, the city hasn’t denied any applications. There will be two speaker platforms for protesting in the areas around the security perimeter, within “sight and sound” of the RNC.
Asked about prohibited items, DeSiato said the city is bound by the state Constitution and cannot contradict state law on concealed and open carry.
“We’re governed by the Constitution,” he said.
Pere Marquette Park, identified as a protest zone, has been an area of dispute among protesters, the RNC and the Secret Service.
The GOP is holding convention events inside the Wisconsin Historical Society building.
Given its vicinity to the building, the park was put inside the hard security perimeter, said Secret Service RNC Coordinator Audrey Gibson-Cicchino.
“Ensuring the safety and security of our delegates, guests, officials, members of the media, and the entire Milwaukee community while standing up for our First Amendment rights and liberties have always been topmost priorities for the Republican National Convention,” RNC spokesman Kush Desai said. “We look forward to continuing to collaborate closely with the US Secret Service as well as local law enforcement to ensure the best possible convention experience for everyone.”
Gov. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency ahead of the convention, which allows certain security measures to be in place, including calling up the Wisconsin National Guard.
Asked about using the National Guard to provide security for the RNC, Gibson-Cicchino said only that the Secret Service does “have a partner” in the force.
