When carrying a firearm in Wiscon, you're also carrying a huge responsibility. As such, specific laws may apply to your possession, ownership and use of a firearm. Be sure to read the information below to find out how you may be affected by our state's gun laws.

Who does the law permit to own a firearm? In the state of Wisconsin, all adults can own a firearm if they have not been convicted of a felony and passed a background check to purchase the weapon they want to buy.

What happens to felons who possess firearms? The unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon is an extremely serious offense that could result in a prison sentence of 10 years.

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Bribery is a crime that occurs behind closed doors and in secret. The act of bribing another person involves the offering of money or favors in exchange for benefiting from the power of that person's position.

Bribery may involve a public official or politician who receives money under the table from someone who wants to receive a special favor. Ultimately, both the person who offers a bribe and the person who accepts the bribe can face these criminal charges.

What's required to prove bribery?

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Wisconsin residents need to know their gun laws if they want to avoid unintentionally getting into trouble. One area of the law that could be subject to changes from year to year relates to machine guns, which are currently considered illegal in the state. Gun owners should review the following rules and regulations pertaining to machine guns to ensure that they don't get into trouble with state and local law enforcement regarding the firearms they possess and carry.

It is unlawful to transport, possess or sell a machine gun or fully automatic weapon unless these actions are performed in strict alignment with applicable gun laws. The term "machine gun" in this context relates to any firearm that can automatically shoot -- or automatically be rearmed to shoot -- over one shot at a time without the need to manually reload, simply by pulling the trigger of the weapon.

There are some exemptions to the above ban. For example, machine guns are exempt if they are:

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Milwaukee was the host of the National Rifle Association's "Concealed Carry Fashion Show." The fashion show was intended to show off gun-toting fashion accessories.

The show included regular guys and regular gals as models who donned special gun-friendly clothing, bags and purses to model for the audience.

Details about the Concealed Carry Fashion Show

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Theft is theft, and if a Wisconsin resident gets accused of stealing property, it doesn't matter if he or she returns the property after stealing it. The individual who took the property can still get convicted of a theft-related crime. That said, the voluntary return of the property could result in the court being more sympathetic, and it could result in a lessening of the punishments associated with conviction.

Still, many Wisconsin defendants do not fully understand the law as it applies to stolen items that were voluntarily returned later. Imagine, for example, that someone steals a bicycle out of another person's garage. The victim calls police, who come and investigate the crime scene. The next day, the alleged thief comes back to the house to return the property voluntarily, at which time, police arrest the person.

Unfortunately, the return of the property will not serve as a defense against the theft charges. However, having returned the property could help the accused person to negotiate a plea bargain with prosecutors. A sympathetic judge may even allow the defendant to forego the severest of punishments -- like jail time -- and have him or her perform community service or other penances instead.

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