Proposed new laws on gun ownership and possession have resurfaced lately following a string of mass shootings in this country.

During an appearance on WOMT’s Be My Guest program early this week, Manitowoc County Sheriff Dan Hartwig voiced his opinion on the ownership of so-called military-style weapons for private citizens.

Hartwig refers to the AR-15 and he is fully in support of that semi-automatic firearm, adding he owns several of them himself.

“It’s a piece of equipment…the individual is choosing to use,” he stated. “One thing you cannot legislate out with a lot of these shootings is the evil in people’s hearts.”

Those carrying out such attacks sometimes use a rifle, sometimes it’s a handgun, other times a knife or a motor vehicle.

The sheriff referred to schools as “soft targets” that need layers of security.

“The best example I give to anybody is go to Washington D.C.,” the Sheriff said. “Any building you walk into, they have layered security, they have armed security, they have metal detectors, they have everything at their doors. You walk down the streets, they have these huge pots of plants along the sidewalks. Those are vehicle barriers, so somebody cannot go up onto the sidewalk with a vehicle and start driving people down.”

Hartwig added, “I believe in the 2^nd amendment and in the rights people have to protect themselves and their families by whatever means necessary.”