After Trump assassination attempt, guns will still be allowed near RNC, but tennis balls will not
Inside the Fiserv Forum and the immediate security perimeter around the Republican National Convention, which kicks off Monday night, guns are not allowed. However, guns will be allowed immediately outside the convention center in the outer perimeter surrounding the Secret Service-controlled area due to Wisconsin state law.
The situation is facing increased scrutiny in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump on Saturday at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Due to Wisconsin state law, people will be allowed to openly carry guns and can conceal-carry with a permit inside the so-called "soft perimeter," which surrounds the Secret Service patrolled inner "hard perimeter." City officials tell ABC News they are frustrated following Saturday's developments but don't expect a change.
A recently passed Milwaukee city ordinance outlines what is banned in the outer perimeter, including tennis balls and paintball guns. But it doesn't cover most firearms and only prohibits weapons already outlawed by the state, including fully automatic guns.
That means that within walking distance of the RNC convention hall -- in that "soft perimeter" -- people cannot carry a paintball gun but can carry an AR-15.
"[It's] utterly ridiculous," Robert Bauman, a Milwaukee City Alderman who proposed adding guns to that city ordinance, told ABC News. "I mean, I could just picture this image of somebody coming up to the entry point with, you know, an AR-15 strapped over one shoulder, a long rifle over another, and two pistols in his belt, and the cops asking him, 'You got any tennis balls?'"
Wisconsin is an open-carry state, allowing the public to carry firearms -- including assault rifles. State law also prohibits local governments from regulating firearms beyond what the state allows.
"We as a city cannot legislate out of that," Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman said at an RNC security press conference on Sunday afternoon. "Unless there's something that is against state law, we have to respect Second Amendment rights, especially in regards to open-carry and conceal-carry if you're licensed."
Earlier Sunday, officials speaking in the aftermath of Saturday's assassination attempt against Trump said there were no known threats surrounding the convention
The FBI special agent in charge of the agency's Wisconsin field office said there had been an expected uptick in threats the FBI has seen online.
The Secret Service coordinator for the RNC said her agency had made no changes to the security plan, and officials remain confident in the plan they designed.
"This event is designated as a national special security event, which is the highest level of security for an event that can be designated by the government. So, this is a whole of government approach. We've had an extensive planning process to include many organizations," Audrey Gibson-Cicchino said.
"There have been no changes to our current operational security plans for this event," she said.
Gibson-Cicchino also said there had been no plans to extend the perimeter of the convention and said she did not know about any request from Wisconsin Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to ban guns in the outer perimeter, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
