Soo I heard that this is being proposed by David Craig.

Right to Carry in Wisconsin. Get all the facts in one place here.

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NRA mailer earlier today
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I'm in on this fo sho!

Just received this from my Rep. today...

Lakeland Times article

4/7/2017 7:21:00 AM
Local lawmaker offers right-to-carry bill
Felzkowski bill would allow concealed carry without a license

Richard Moore
Investigative Reporter


State Rep. Mary Felzkowski (R-Irma) and Sen. David Craig (R-Vernon) - along with at least 39 co-sponsors - have introduced the Right to Carry Act, which they say would simplify Wisconsin law and expand the rights of law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed weapon without a license.

"We want to empower people to decide the best ways to defend themselves," Felzkowski said. "Whether it's a taser in a purse or gun under a winter coat, we want to give more options for people to carry."

Craig said the bill would accomplish two things.

"At its essence, this bill ... removes barriers to the exercise of a constitutional right and simplifies the law," Craig said. "If you decide to carry a weapon to protect yourself or your family, you should be able to do so easily, without bureaucratic hurdles and without cost."

Allowing concealed carry without a license closely mirrors the state's current open carry laws, Craig said.

"We already give people the ability to openly carry a firearm without a license," he said. "With this bill, law-abiding citizens will have the same right to carry discreetly that they currently have to carry openly. If you decide to throw on a coat, you should not be considered a criminal."

The bill also clarifies and simplifies the carry of firearms.

"In writing this bill, we found ambiguities in the law and 'gotcha' clauses which have tripped people up," Felzkowski said. "The simplifications in this bill will help citizens more easily understand the law and avoid getting wrapped up in a court battle for something that should be lawful."

The lawmakers say the bill would create a basic license that would allow parents to pick up and drop off their children from school without having to leave their firearm at home. The bill maintains all local controls and private property rights, they said, by allowing the posting of schools, government buildings, and private property.

"Private property rights are extremely important," Craig said. "Our legislation does not diminish anyone's ability to post their business and we uphold local elected officials' ability to decide whether or not to post their buildings based on what is best for their community."

The bill also removes government red tape from self-protection and makes it more affordable to carry, they assert.

"Under this bill, if you are legally allowed to own a handgun, you can carry it concealed - no license, no fees, no government hoops to jump through," Felzkowski said.

Currently, the lawmakers say, 12 states have passed similar laws and an additional 20 states are considering legislation this session.

The National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action hailed the legislation as a step forward in gun rights.

"This important piece of legislation means law-abiding gun owners will no longer have to jump through government hoops and pay fees to exercise a basic constitutional right in the way that works best for them," Scott Rausch, NRA-ILA state liaison, said. "Right to carry is common-sense legislation for Wisconsin."

The NRA said the bill expands where concealed carry is legal.

For example, Rausch said, if passed, gun owners will be able to carry on their person while driving - an aspect that simplifies a confusing 2011 law that ensnared otherwise law-abiding people.

Twelve states have constitutional carry laws and data analysis shows no increase in crime has occurred, the NRA stated. The bill does not affect who can carry a firearm, either, the NRA pointed out: Anyone convicted of a felony or misdemeanor domestic violence, adjudicated mentally ill, dishonorably discharged from the military, or under 21, is not legally allowed to possess a firearm, and that would remain so under the bill.



Democrats object, say bill is irresponsible, dangerous

Democratic lawmakers said the legislation would make a mockery of Wisconsin's gun violence epidemic.

Rep. Melissa Sargent (D-Madison) blasted authors and cosponsors of the bill, saying it would do a lot more than allow carrying a concealed weapon without a permit but would make it legal to carry a taser, make it legal to carry a firearm onto school grounds, and into mental health facilities and hospitals.

"Honestly, at what point are Republicans going to ask themselves, 'Are we really doing the best we can for our state?'" Sargent said. "Gun violence in Wisconsin isn't a joke, it's a public health crisis. This Republican legislation, which allows carrying a concealed weapon without a license, leaving guns unattended in cars on school grounds, or carrying a taser around in public, makes a mockery of thousands of people dying or being injured at the hands of guns in Wisconsin."

From 2002 to 2011, Sargent said, more people were killed with guns in Wisconsin than all combat deaths in the Iraq War.

"And this is the best Republicans can come up with to address this issue?" she asked. "It's not just embarrassing, it's appalling. Our state should be doing more to protect innocent lives. This bill is irresponsible and dangerous, and quite frankly, defies logic."

In fact, Sargent said, the legislation is the definition of insanity.

"Republicans are doing the same thing over and over, making it easier and easier for anyone to access violent weapons, and expecting different results, but the fact is, gun violence continues getting worse," she said. "The message to the people of Wisconsin is loud and clear: the Republican answer to Wisconsin's gun violence epidemic is to make it easier for anyone to access and use a violent weapon, not harder."

State Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) said the lawmakers were proposing to arm teens.

"In the wake of recent, tragic shootings that devastated several Wisconsin communities, this bill is a slap in the face to our neighbors that are demanding real solutions to our state's gun violence public health crisis," Larson said. "Wisconsin should be focusing on making our communities safer with laws that are both proven and have widespread public support."

Larson said one such policy was having stronger background check laws, which he said has support from 85 percent of Wisconsin voters. In the 19 states and Washington, D.C., that have universal background checks, he said, 47 percent fewer women are killed by their intimate partners, and 53 percent fewer law enforcement officers are shot and killed in the line of duty.

"Additionally, the majority of Wisconsin voters - 65 percent - oppose allowing guns near our schools," he said. "With 26,252 gun-related deaths nationally in 2015, this proposal takes Wisconsin in the wrong direction. Republicans are rejecting common sense and logic by ignoring public safety and the needs of our community."

Finally, Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison) pointed to gun violence near Wausau on March 22, in which four people were killed, as evidence the legislation was not the way to go.

"I wish I could say I'm surprised that following the tragedy in Wausau, Republicans are, once again, willing to expand access to firearms," Taylor said. "We know that where there are less gun safety measures and more guns, more dangerous individuals get access to guns and more women die. We know that where there are less gun safety measures and more guns, more dangerous people get access to guns and more police officers die. And yet, here we are, making it easier for dangerous people to carry concealed weapons."

Taylor pointed to studies showing that right-to-carry laws are associated with substantially higher rates of aggravated assault, robbery, rape, and murder and that changes in gun ownership are significantly positively related to changes in the homicide rate.

Other studies dispute those findings.

Richard Moore is the author of The New Bossism of the American Left and can be reached at www.rmmoore1.com.