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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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Posted on 10/13/2003 8:24:12 PM PDT by Monitor
A state Senate committee voted Monday to lift Wisconsin's 130-year-old ban on concealed weapons. The full Senate could vote next week.
Three Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the bill. The committee's two Democrats did not attend. The committee's chairman, Senator Dave Zien (R-Eau Claire), is one of the sponsors of the bill.
The committee made changes to the legislation before voting. Private business, churches, and homeowners would be able to prohibit concealed weapons. Zien says the amendments clarify private property rights.
Backers of the bill say anyone over 21 who passes a criminal background check and a 22-hour firearms training class should be able to carry a gun with a proper permit.
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FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794
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It is in the breaking news sidebar! |
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I have no idea where the urban legend of "22 hours of training" started, and neither does the bill's author, but the idiots in the press keep repeating it. While the bill does specify that training is required, the length of that training is not specified.
Hopefully they will go the Missouri or Florida route on this instead of the Texas route.
That may very well be the source of the confusion. However, those two courses are $125 a throw, and I doubt very much if anyone will take both courses when taking only one of them - literally - fits the bill.
The price is precisely the reason why I looked into the "22 hour" requirement. All I could find offered were those two NRA classes, one 10 hours, the other 12, and both $125 each. That seemed so steep a price that I decided to go through the actual legislation to see a) if that 22 hour requirement was true, and b) to see if there was a cheaper alternative (which there is).
The way the legislation is written, I could conceivably take the WI DNR Hunter Safety course given each fall at the local police station (which is free), satisfying the gun safety training requirement.
Having already participated in an NRA high power rifle course put on by Jim Owens, and having shot F-Class in an NRA sanctioned high power match, I might already have met the "training" requirements, according to the legislation. And, I plan on participating in an IDPA match, which does include range and gun safety lessons prior to the match, which also may meet the "training" requirements.
Even so, I'd opt for the NRA's Personal Protection course, even if it is $125, because it would cover more than just gun safety - it would cover the laws applicable to self defense and defense of others.
But if there was a waiting list for the NRA course, I'd try to get my CCW using my other "training" experiences, and take the NRA course at a later date.
That depends on who is present when the override vote is taken. Only 2/3 of those PRESENT need vote yes to override the veto.
From an email I recently received from Senator Zien:
Senate Bill 214, the Personal Protection Act, passed our committee on Monday, October 13 by a vote of 3-2. The bill now awaits action by the full Senate. We expect to have a Senate floor debate on SB 214 on Wednesday, October 22.
That's this coming Wednesday!
From Dick Baker of The Wisconsin Concealed Carry Association:
A large turnout of gunowners in the gallery will help put pressure on those senators who claim to be pro-gun. Nothing makes a legislator's heart pound harder than seeing scores of registered voters watching him vote.
If at all possible, please try to make it to the Capitol on Wednesday. The gallery is on the third floor. Use the South elevators. The bill should come up sometime after noon. If you arrive early, use that time to visit your legislators' offices to tell them to vote for the bill and for the veto override.
I'm going to try to be there. I could use some company.
Time to recall another one
Call your Legislators and tell them to vote Yes on the Personal Protection Act concealed carry bill (Senate Bill 214, Assembly Bill 444). And join the NRA.
Done and done. Are there any plans for contacting the governor in mass or maybe a "No Veto Rally"?
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