WJI's daily reads for Dec. 7, 2021

The Pew Charitable Trusts: More states allow people to carry concealed guns without permits.

Wisconsin’s permitless carry bill, which received a public hearing in the state Senate in October, also would prohibit local governments from banning weapons on public transportation. It’s unclear when the legislation will get a vote, but gun rights advocates are confident it will pass.

Eliminating the permit requirement would be a welcome change for gun owners uneasy about being on a government list, said Nik Clark, president of Wisconsin Carry, a Milwaukee-based gun rights organization. It also would allow people who want a gun for self-protection to acquire one without having to wait through the permitting process, which Clark said is important in cases of domestic abuse or in situations such as the civil unrest of 2020.

“We have a human right to self-defense,” Clark said. “To say that you need permission from the government to do that is crazy. It’s anti-American.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Conservative group sues in Wisconsin to strike down campaign finance laws.

Above the Law: Colorado appeals court says that dog alerts for legal weed are not probable cause for a search.

The Hill: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch's terrifying paragraph.

Now here is the paragraph. In October, the court declined to block Maine’s requirement that health care workers be vaccinated against the coronavirus notwithstanding their religious objections. Gorsuch, dissenting (joined by Thomas and Alito), wrote the following:

"I accept that what we said 11 months ago remains true today — that '[s]temming the spread of COVID–19' qualifies as 'a compelling inter­est.' At the same time, I would acknowledge that this interest cannot qualify as such forever. Back when we decided Roman Catholic Diocese, there were no widely distributed vac­cines. Today there are three. At that time, the country had comparably few treatments for those suffering with the disease. Today we have additional treatments and more appear near. If human nature and history teach anything, it is that civil liberties face grave risks when governments proclaim indefinite states of emergency."

CNN: U.S. Justice Department closes investigation into Emmett Till murder.

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