Falls to Ban Concealed Weapons from Municipal Buildings

Concealed weapons may be allowed in Wisconsin, but you won't be able to carry them at , or other municipal buildings, the Menomonee Falls Village Board decided Monday night.

Trustees approved two ordinances: one that puts a local conceal carry law on the books and another that amends various sections of the village's municipal code.

The ordinances, which were recommended by Village Attorney Michael Morse, will go into effect once signs are posted at the entryway of village buildings. A violator of the ordinances could be cited if he or she refuses to leave the building.

"There is an element of police discretion and enforcement," Morse told the board.

Trustee Dennis Farrell was the lone trustee to vote against the ordinances. Farrell opposed the ordinances on the grounds that they create a possibility of unarmed individuals in village buildings facing someone who is armed outside.

“What if a perpetrator wanted to get an employee on their way out? They know that they are not armed,” he said.  

The village now prohibits its employees — excluding police officers — from carrying weapons while on duty.

"There is no reason we can't revisit this," Trustee Michael McDonald said, explaining that the Village Board could amend the ordinances in the future. "This is not writing it in stone forever."

Menomonee Falls — like many other municipalities throughout the state — are faced with how to handle the Wisconsin's . The statute, which went into effect this fall, gives local municipalities discretion in terms of whether to allow guns in public buildings.