![Sniper[MI]](/d3/avatars/m/0/690.jpg?1396161696){kind=avatar}
Joined
·
3,796 Posts
At 2:45 this morning, the State Assembly amended and passed SB214, the Personal Protection Act concealed carry bill, by a margin of 64 to 35 votes.
Opponents of the bill drafted over 70 amendments to try to kill the bill. One amendment would have restricted concealed carry to one's home or business, and nowhere else. Representative David Cullen (D-Milwaukee) wanted to have an amendment that would prohibit carry in the city of Milwaukee.
One amendment to the bill would have made carrying in a prohibited place a felony, instead of a minor misdemeanor under the current bill. Wander into the wrong place by accident, and lose your right to vote and own guns.
Representative Spencer Black (D-Madison) tried to add an amendment that would make it a crime to walk within 1,000 feet of a school if you were carrying concealed, an act that's pretty hard to avoid if you live or work within 1/5th of a mile of a school.
One opponent--again, Representative Spencer Black (D-Madison)-- actually claimed that a concealed carry permit holder might shoot a nuclear reactor, resulting in a nuclear meltdown that would endanger the state or the nation.
If you as a law-abiding gunowner aren't insulted by their claims that you'll destroy our country and kill our children if allowed to carry, you darned well should be.
If adopted, any or all of the above amendments would have made concealed carry permits absolutely useless, since the amendments would ban carry almost anywhere.
In order to gain the support of certain legislators, Representative Gunderson offered the following amendments: reciprocity with other states will be determined by the Department of Justice based on those states having similar training requirements; stun guns will not be allowed under the concealed carry bill without special training; tear gas will not be allowed under the bill (mere possession of tear gas is already prohibited under current state law, not to mention the Geneva Convention's rules of warfare); restaurants that serve alcohol will be off-limits for concealed carry; healthcare facilities will be off-limits for concealed carry.
The bill must now go back to the senate to reconcile the two versions of the bills.
The closeness of today's vote--and the concessions that needed to be made-- underscore just how important it is that all gunowners keep pressure on their legislators. We need to make sure that at least four of the six Senate Democrats who voted for the bill on October 24th will not change their votes. And we need to keep every member of the Assembly on our side, and put pressure on those representatives who--every election--claim to be for the "rights of hunters and sportsmen." The right to keep and bear arms has nothing to do with shooting ducks or deer or geese or clays or tin cans or paper targets. It has everything to do with the right to keep and bear the arms with which to do so.
Whether or not we win depends upon the number of gunowners calling and writing their legislators. We are now within inches of the goal line, and we cannot afford to let up.
If you don't know who your legislator is, go to http://www.legis.state.wi.us/waml and enter your address and town. Your friends without internet access can call 1-800-362-9472 (9am to 5pm) and they'll be transferred to their legislators' offices.
If you've already written, call. If you've already called, call again. Get everyone you know to call.
Again, if we do not win this fight in the next few weeks, it will be at least 2007 before the bill will be introduced again. If Governor Doyle wins re-election in 2006, then we may not see the bill introduced again until 2011.
Also again, this is not just about people carrying concealed handguns. It's about people in rural areas who are now law-breakers because they carry their buck knives in their pockets. It's about rifle and shotgun shooters who carry their cased longguns on the passenger seat of their trucks. It's about all of us as gunowners and law-abiding citizens.
This margin gives us a strong base to work from to override any potential veto in the Assembly. Be assured, we are working very hard to ensure a veto proof majority in the Assembly.
In order to put us in a position to overcome the Governor's arm-twisting, Representative Gunderson and I made the decision to work with the Democrats to find compromises that would build and solidify the margin. We, along with the Speaker, negotiated with several Democratic Representatives including Wayne Wood.
The agreement we reached (Assembly Amendment 70) includes the following changes to the bill:
* Carry was prohibited in all Class B liquor establishments. The bill had prohibited carry in any establishment that generated more than 50% of its revenue from the sales of alcohol.
* Prohibit carry in healthcare facilities (clinics, nursing homes, etc.) unless the management adopts a policy allowing carry. This is the same standard we applied to hospitals in Joint Finance.
* Carry was prohibited in "organized youth athletic events." This expands the current prohibition on carry at school, university and professional athletic events to include Little League and similar non-school sponsored youth athletics.
* Required training to include information on stun guns.
* Allowing reciprocity requirement for out of state licensees only if the state conducts background checks and requires similar firearms training to Wisconsin. The bill had only required the other state to have a training requirement.
Because the bill was amended, it must come BACK to the Senate for approval. We are hoping to go into Senate session to approve SB 214 next Tuesday, November 11.
Once the bill passes the Senate and is sent to the Governor, the Governor has 6 days (not including Sunday) to sign or veto the bill. Or, if he does nothing with the bill in those 6 days, the bill will simply become law.
But with the immense pressure the Governor has been putting on Assembly Democrats to NOT vote for PPA, and to NOT vote to override a veto, we must anticipate a VETO of the bill. Hence, we will anticipate the Senate and Assembly attempting an override.
If you've never contacted your Senator or Assemblyman before, NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT. If you already made a contact, DO IT AGAIN! Have your friends make a call too. Tell them to SUPPORT CONCEALED CARRY and to OVERRIDE THE GOVERNOR'S possible VETO.
This is right in 45 of 50 states. Our bill passed the Senate 24-8, and Assembly 65-34. The majority and the truth are on our side. Governor Doyle should, by all rights, allow this to become law. But the Legislature must be prepared to OVERRIDE in case he doesn't.
Now is the time to make your voice heard.
Opponents of the bill drafted over 70 amendments to try to kill the bill. One amendment would have restricted concealed carry to one's home or business, and nowhere else. Representative David Cullen (D-Milwaukee) wanted to have an amendment that would prohibit carry in the city of Milwaukee.
One amendment to the bill would have made carrying in a prohibited place a felony, instead of a minor misdemeanor under the current bill. Wander into the wrong place by accident, and lose your right to vote and own guns.
Representative Spencer Black (D-Madison) tried to add an amendment that would make it a crime to walk within 1,000 feet of a school if you were carrying concealed, an act that's pretty hard to avoid if you live or work within 1/5th of a mile of a school.
One opponent--again, Representative Spencer Black (D-Madison)-- actually claimed that a concealed carry permit holder might shoot a nuclear reactor, resulting in a nuclear meltdown that would endanger the state or the nation.
If you as a law-abiding gunowner aren't insulted by their claims that you'll destroy our country and kill our children if allowed to carry, you darned well should be.
If adopted, any or all of the above amendments would have made concealed carry permits absolutely useless, since the amendments would ban carry almost anywhere.
In order to gain the support of certain legislators, Representative Gunderson offered the following amendments: reciprocity with other states will be determined by the Department of Justice based on those states having similar training requirements; stun guns will not be allowed under the concealed carry bill without special training; tear gas will not be allowed under the bill (mere possession of tear gas is already prohibited under current state law, not to mention the Geneva Convention's rules of warfare); restaurants that serve alcohol will be off-limits for concealed carry; healthcare facilities will be off-limits for concealed carry.
The bill must now go back to the senate to reconcile the two versions of the bills.
The closeness of today's vote--and the concessions that needed to be made-- underscore just how important it is that all gunowners keep pressure on their legislators. We need to make sure that at least four of the six Senate Democrats who voted for the bill on October 24th will not change their votes. And we need to keep every member of the Assembly on our side, and put pressure on those representatives who--every election--claim to be for the "rights of hunters and sportsmen." The right to keep and bear arms has nothing to do with shooting ducks or deer or geese or clays or tin cans or paper targets. It has everything to do with the right to keep and bear the arms with which to do so.
Whether or not we win depends upon the number of gunowners calling and writing their legislators. We are now within inches of the goal line, and we cannot afford to let up.
If you don't know who your legislator is, go to http://www.legis.state.wi.us/waml and enter your address and town. Your friends without internet access can call 1-800-362-9472 (9am to 5pm) and they'll be transferred to their legislators' offices.
If you've already written, call. If you've already called, call again. Get everyone you know to call.
Again, if we do not win this fight in the next few weeks, it will be at least 2007 before the bill will be introduced again. If Governor Doyle wins re-election in 2006, then we may not see the bill introduced again until 2011.
Also again, this is not just about people carrying concealed handguns. It's about people in rural areas who are now law-breakers because they carry their buck knives in their pockets. It's about rifle and shotgun shooters who carry their cased longguns on the passenger seat of their trucks. It's about all of us as gunowners and law-abiding citizens.
This margin gives us a strong base to work from to override any potential veto in the Assembly. Be assured, we are working very hard to ensure a veto proof majority in the Assembly.
In order to put us in a position to overcome the Governor's arm-twisting, Representative Gunderson and I made the decision to work with the Democrats to find compromises that would build and solidify the margin. We, along with the Speaker, negotiated with several Democratic Representatives including Wayne Wood.
The agreement we reached (Assembly Amendment 70) includes the following changes to the bill:
* Carry was prohibited in all Class B liquor establishments. The bill had prohibited carry in any establishment that generated more than 50% of its revenue from the sales of alcohol.
* Prohibit carry in healthcare facilities (clinics, nursing homes, etc.) unless the management adopts a policy allowing carry. This is the same standard we applied to hospitals in Joint Finance.
* Carry was prohibited in "organized youth athletic events." This expands the current prohibition on carry at school, university and professional athletic events to include Little League and similar non-school sponsored youth athletics.
* Required training to include information on stun guns.
* Allowing reciprocity requirement for out of state licensees only if the state conducts background checks and requires similar firearms training to Wisconsin. The bill had only required the other state to have a training requirement.
Because the bill was amended, it must come BACK to the Senate for approval. We are hoping to go into Senate session to approve SB 214 next Tuesday, November 11.
Once the bill passes the Senate and is sent to the Governor, the Governor has 6 days (not including Sunday) to sign or veto the bill. Or, if he does nothing with the bill in those 6 days, the bill will simply become law.
But with the immense pressure the Governor has been putting on Assembly Democrats to NOT vote for PPA, and to NOT vote to override a veto, we must anticipate a VETO of the bill. Hence, we will anticipate the Senate and Assembly attempting an override.
If you've never contacted your Senator or Assemblyman before, NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT. If you already made a contact, DO IT AGAIN! Have your friends make a call too. Tell them to SUPPORT CONCEALED CARRY and to OVERRIDE THE GOVERNOR'S possible VETO.
This is right in 45 of 50 states. Our bill passed the Senate 24-8, and Assembly 65-34. The majority and the truth are on our side. Governor Doyle should, by all rights, allow this to become law. But the Legislature must be prepared to OVERRIDE in case he doesn't.
Now is the time to make your voice heard.
