Wisconsin "Personal Protection Act" Update

The State Senate gave final approval to the 2005 Personal Protection Act (PPA) and is sending the bill to Governor Jim Doyle (D) for his promised veto.  It will be his second veto of the PPA in as many years.  He is committed to his distrust of law-abiding Wisconsinites and to keeping the state as one of only four that strictly prohibit trained, licensed citizens who pass a criminal background check from carrying concealed firearms for self-defense.

Once again, there are a sufficient number of supporters in the Senate and Assembly to override the veto, but only if past supporters stay steadfast in their support of the bill.  In 2004, the Senate easily overrode the veto, but the Governor was able to convince a fellow Democrat in the Assembly and a one-time supporter of the PPA to change his vote for partisan political reasons, thus killing it by a single vote.

This time around, the Governor and other opponents are once again hard at work trying to find a Democrat who will play politics with Wisconsinites' personal safety by changing his vote.  All six Assembly democrats who voted for the bill in December must stay steadfast in support of the bill in order for the override to be successful.  Four of the six have publicly committed to voting in support of overriding the Governor's veto.  Clearly, the two who have not are in the Governor's sights.

Representative John Steinbrink (D-65), from Pleasant Prairie, has voted in favor of the PPA four of four times since 2002, including the veto override in 2004.  Now, he reports that he is considering reversing his long-time support in order to sustain the Governor's veto.  Representative Steinbrink has been a consistent supporter of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, specifically for self-defense.

Representative Terry Van Akkeren (D-26), from Sheboygan, has voted for the PPA all three times that it has come before him since 2003.  Like Representative Steinbrink, he is also considering a change of position on the very piece of legislation that he voted to support only a month ago.

Of all things, the right to self-defense should trump partisan political games.  Please contact these two representatives and ask them to remain consistent in their support of Wisconsinites' right to protect themselves and their loved ones from violence by voting to override the Governor's veto of the PPA, as they both did in 2004.

You can reach Representative Steinbrink by phone at (888) 534-0065, or by e-mail at [email protected].

You can reach Representative Van Akkeren by phone at (888) 529-0026, or by e-mail at [email protected].

The FBI reports that over 24,000 Wisconsinites have been the victims of violent crime--murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault--since the last failed override in 2004.  These citizens deserve the opportunity to defend themselves.  PLEASE ACT NOW!