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Legal Issues Concerning Martial Artist
Concealed weapon advocates alter approach - In latest push, attorney general would issue permits, By Patrick Marley
From the Aug. 12, 2005, editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Madison, WI - The Legislature is gearing up for another fight this fall over legalizing the carrying of concealed weapons.
Rep. Scott Gunderson (R-Waterford) said the bill would have the attorney general - rather than county sheriffs - issue the permits. In the last legislative fight, sheriffs were one of the most vocal groups opposing the bill.
The latest version sidesteps the sheriffs without taking the controversial step of giving the work to a private company, as Sen. Dave Zien (R-Eau Claire) proposed in June.
Gunderson hopes to unveil the bill in about two weeks and have it before lawmakers in October or November.
A spokesman for Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle said the proposal was troubling, setting up the likelihood of another veto and razor-thin vote margins in the GOP-controlled Legislature.
Doyle vetoed the bill in 2003. Republicans who control the Legislature overrode the veto in the Senate and came one vote shy of doing so in the Assembly, so the veto stood.
It was the closest the bill came to becoming law in four attempts in recent years.
"As you can see, we're gaining huge momentum here. . . . We know we're only one vote short," Gunderson said. "We believe some of the new Democrats may vote for this."
The latest bill would be less restrictive than the one Doyle vetoed, Gunderson said, adding that he would be open to considering tightening the bill.
Doyle was in Washington, D.C., on Thursday and unavailable for comment. Aide Dan Leistikow indicated another veto was likely.
"Having people walk around with loaded guns hidden in their pockets will not make our kids any safer," he said in an e-mailed statement. "It makes the job of law enforcement tougher and more dangerous."
Opposition is already lining up against the bill, even before it has been unveiled. On Thursday, the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort and others held a Capitol news conference blasting the idea.
"We don't want more hidden, loaded guns on our streets. . . . Last year we told our legislators we wouldn't feel safer if more people were carrying more guns in more places," but lawmakers aren't listening, said Jeri Bonavia, executive director of the Milwaukee-based group.
Under the earlier bill, sheriffs would have issued the permits after the attorney general did a background check. Sheriffs said they were concerned the bill didn't give them enough time, resources and authority to review applicants.
Democratic Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager declined comment on the bill through spokesman Brian Rieselman, who said department officials had not yet seen it.
Gunderson said he hoped the sheriffs would stay out of the fight if they did not have to issue the permits, but already some law enforcement officials are showing resistance.
"We simply do not see a correlation between more guns on the street and a safer Wisconsin," Village of Oregon Police Chief Doug Pettit said at the news conference.
Pettit heads the legislative committee of the Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association, which represents most of the 600-some municipal police executives in the state.
Jim Cardinal, executive director of the Wisconsin Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs Association, said his group was reserving judgment on the bill until members see the legislative language. Cardinal, who did not appear at the news conference, said his group may have safety concerns.
"There might be stuff in the bill that might not be advantageous to the people of Wisconsin," he said.
The permits would cost about a third less under the new bill - $75 instead of $113. Of that fee, $60 would go to Lautenschlager's agency for background checks and permitting costs. The remaining $15 would go toward a program that communities could tap to improve firing ranges, Gunderson said.
Permits would be issued to any state residents 21 or older who took a course on guns and had no felonies or history of domestic abuse. The course would likely take 22 to 32 hours.
Permit holders would be able to carry their guns anywhere other than police buildings, prisons, jails, courthouses, professional and college sporting events, school administration buildings, airports, taverns and restaurants where alcohol accounts for more than 50% of sales. Federal law prohibits guns in schools.
The bill would not keep guns out of malls, hospitals or Little League games - venues that Doyle repeatedly cited as flaws in earlier legislation. Gunderson said private businesses would be allowed to ban guns from their premises.