Questions remain on gun billBy Brian Gray
MONROE -- The state Assembly will vote on a law Tuesday that will allow Wisconsin residents to secretly carry weapons.
The state Senate passed the law by a 23-10 vote this week. If the Assembly passes the bill, it will go to Gov. Jim Doyle, who could either sign it into law or veto it.
If Doyle signs the bill Wisconsin would be the 47th state in the United States to allow citizens to carry a concealed weapon.
The bill would let Wisconsin residents who pass firearms training and obtain permits to carry concealed handguns, knives, billy clubs and electric shock weapons in most public places. Exceptions in the original version of the bill included schools, taverns and police stations.
The bill's sponsors tacked on several amendments designed to make the measure more palatable for police, gun owners and swing lawmakers in a veto override attempt, which requires a two-thirds vote in each house.
The changes include allowing police to access Wisconsin Department of Transportation records to see if the owners of vehicles they stop are concealed carry permit holders; banning drunk people from carrying weapons; and expanding the list of locations where concealed weapons still would be illegal to include youth sporting events, day cares, college buildings and churches. Senate Republicans amended the bill late Tuesday to allow owners of day cares and domestic abuse shelters to permit concealed weapons on their premises.
Local area law enforcement officers still have questions about the bill, however.
Lafayette County Sheriff Scott Pedley, who is president of the Badger State Sheriff's Association, said the majority of sheriffs in Wisconsin don't oppose the proposed bill but feel questions need to be addressed.
The association wants the Legislature to improve the language in the bill.
"We just want them to take the time to write a good law," Pedley said.
The association is concerned about allowing permit holders to consume alcohol while armed. He said the law should require absolute sobriety.
The sheriffs also want refresher training classes at least once every five years. As the law stand now, after someone gets a license they can renew it without any type of refresher course.
Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, stressed that before someone receives a permit they have to go through an extensive training session to learn their rights and responsibilities. However, he doesn't oppose the idea of a refresher course after a couple of years.
"I don't think it's unreasonable to ask people to go through a refresher course. To ask that they be up on the laws," he said.
In addition, Davis said, the vast majority of people allowed to carry concealed weapons are law-abiding citizens who want to follow the rules.
Monroe Police Chief Fred Kelley said he supports the idea that people can protect themselves but has concerns about the proposed law. He said concealed weapons could create more tension between police officers and citizens.
A police officer needs to have a reasonable cause or suspicion to stop someone on the street or in a vehicle, Kelley said. Kelley and Pedley said there has to be a reasonable amount of fear to frisk someone for weapons.
"With the concealed carry law the reasonable fear will always be there," he said.
Every situation a police officer responds to is different, Kelley said, and in some cases a person who is armed and licensed to carry a concealed weapon might be disarmed for the officer's safety.
Davis said even if the bill is passed without any other changes, that doesn't mean it couldn't be changed in the future to address new concerns.
"As issues come up there could be changes in the law," he said.
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