BROOKFIELD, WI - “What is a gun?”  When I heard Tom say that, I knew that here was a guy with a new approach.  The setting was a “Meet & Greet”, and someone had asked the usual question about Gun Control vs. 2nd Amendment Rights.  It seems that so many people have made up their mind about this issue that productive conversation seems almost impossible.  We’re stuck.

So I was impressed with Tom’s response to the question.  Rather than barge head-on into the usual debate, Tom wondered if we might at least be able to have discussion – and maybe find some agreement – about what should qualify as a gun that is appropriate for the average person to own.  Rather than pound, unproductively, on the locked front door of the issue, Tom suggested we look for a side door to a room where people might sit down and talk.

That’s part of why I’m supporting Tom. I respect his search for creative approaches to the problems facing our nation.  Rather than just saying the same thing, louder and louder, as so may politicians seem to be doing, Tom strikes me as someone who understands that true communication requires both things – listening as well as talking.  Of course he has different ideas than some others in the political arena, but I’ve never heard him talk disrespectfully about any of them. I see Tom as willing, and working, to search for new solutions to old problems, wherever they can be found.

Thanks,
Bill Petterson

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Tom Palzewicz is running for Congress in Wisconsin’s 5th District