Badger State is One of Two Remaining Holdouts Barring Hidden Firearms
Listen to Wave Executuve Director, Jeri Bonavia, in an interview with Shawn Johnson, broadcast on Wisconsin Public Radio on December 28, 2006.
Badger State is One of Two Remaining Holdouts Barring Hidden Firearms
By Shawn Johnson
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
(UNDATED) Starting next week, Wisconsin will be one of only two states that prohibit people from carrying concealed weapons.
Once Kansas and Nebraska residents begin applying for concealed-carry permits, it will leave Wisconsin and Illinois as country’s only holdouts. This puts Wisconsin under more of a spotlight as far as gun rights groups are concerned. Joe Waldron directs the national gun group known as the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. He says that as more states jump onboard with concealed carry, the argument against it becomes less convincing. He says predictions are continually heard of “blood in the gutters,” shootouts and the “typical chicken little approach,” but he says it has not come to pass.
But if anything, the results of the last election make it less likely a concealed carry law will pass here. Democratic Governor Jim Doyle won reelection; he’s twice vetoed concealed-carry legislation. Also, Democrats took control of the state Senate.
Jeri Bonavia directs the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort known as WAVE. She’s spent most of her time lobbying against concealed-carry legislation the last several years, but she hopes that the new makeup of the Legislature will give her a chance to push her own agenda. She says she thinks there are people who are very open to working on policies that will in fact help prevent gun violence, and as long as they can be shown evidence from other states that these types of policies make a difference, she hopes they will be open to these ideas. For example, Bonavia favors requiring criminal background checks for all gun purchases.
Any gun bills will have to win the favor of both political parties under the new power structure in Madison. Lawmakers officially begin the next session Wednesday.