In 2003 and 2005, your NRA advocated for the strongest Personal Protection Act (PPA) possible but a number of detrimental amendments had to be accepted in order to climb to the two-thirds supermajority votes in the Assembly and Senate needed to potentially override Governor Jim Doyle’s promised vetoes. The bills during those two years would have been much stronger had only simple majority votes from each house been necessary, as is the case now.
The provisions of the 2011 PPA are now being robustly debated in Madison. It is with great disappointment that we must report that some legislators who claimed to be on the side of law-abiding gun owners are now advocating for the same unjustified restrictions imposed during Doyle’s days in office. The expectation after the November elections was that principles of individual freedom, not more government restrictions, would rule the day.
This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 93 by a 3 to 2 vote. SB 93 simply repeals the prohibition against citizens carrying concealed weapons for self-defense. It was amended to allow for an optional license to be obtained for the purposes of being exempted from the prohibition on carrying firearms through school zones (1000 feet surrounding school grounds). The license would also provide Wisconsinites the ability to carry in other states pursuant to license reciprocity and recognition.
The Assembly Criminal Justice committee will soon act on Assembly Bill 126, the concealed weapons licensing bill. Negotiations on amendments to the bills in both houses are ongoing. It is essential that you contact your state Representative and state Senator and urge them to advocate against the imposition of further restrictions and unnecessary hurdles that do nothing but deter good citizens from ultimately being able to carry concealed weapons for self-defense. Tell them that using the 2003 and 2005 bills as models for the 2011 PPA is unacceptable! Tell them that you want more freedom, not less!
As negotiations develop, please look for detailed action alerts from your NRA. Your readiness to act with regard to specific battles will determine whether the 2011 PPA is one of the more freedom-oriented laws in the country or one of the more restrictive. The experience of 40 other Right to Carry states cannot be ignored. The best, not worst, provisions of all of these states should be incorporated into the 2011 PPA.
To contact your legislators, you can call the Legislative Hotline at 800-362-9472 or you can click here and find individual contact information for your state Senator and state Representative.
PLEASE ACT NOW! YOUR FREEDOM COUNTS ON IT!
NRA-ILA would like to extend a special thanks to our official NRA State Affiliate Wi-FORCE for sponsoring grassroots workshops across Wisconsin last week. These events helped to educate NRA members and gun owners about the pending legislation and what specific actions individuals can take to ensure passage of pro-gun bills.
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