Wisconsin: The 2011 Personal Protection Act Has Arrived! <br/>Committee Hearings Have Been Scheduled for Next Thursday!

Now is Time for You to Act!

The good citizens of Wisconsin have been denied their right to self-defense for too long and the time has now come to make the Personal Protection Act a reality!  It is time that Wisconsin joins Free America and the 48 other states with concealed carry laws. The bills have been circulated for sponsorship and it is critical that you contact your state Representative and state Senator to urge them to cosponsor this legislation.  

There are two bills being introduced in the 2011 legislative session that allow Wisconsinites to carry concealed weapons for personal protection.  The first is known as “permitless carry” and it simply eliminates the current prohibition against law-abiding citizens carrying concealed firearms.  Many citizens already carry openly and this will allow them to conceal their firearms.  It also eliminates the “cased and unloaded” requirement for handguns in motor vehicles.  State Senator Pam Galloway (R-Wausau) has introduced this bill in the Senate and there is currently no companion bill in the Assembly.  Its designation before assigned a bill number is LRB 2007 and both senators and representatives are able to cosponsor it.

The second is a “shall issue” carry license bill that allows Wisconsinites to obtain a license from the state Department of Justice (DOJ) in order to carry a concealed weapon.  This license bill offers some additional benefits.  These include the ability to use the license to carry a concealed weapon in many other states while traveling and the ability to carry concealed weapons in school zones (1000-foot area surrounding school grounds).  These zones are prolific and it is virtually impossible to navigate populated areas without entering them while engaging in routine activities.  The federal penalty for a school zone violation is up to five years in prison and a fine.  State Senator Pam Galloway (R-Wausau) and state Representative Jeffrey Mursau (R-Crivitz) are the sponsors of this bill.  The current Senate Bill designation is LRB 2027 and the Assembly Bill is LRB 2033.

When contacting your state legislators to request that they cosponsor the Personal Protection Act, please also ask them to oppose any amendments that restrict your ability to defend yourself or place unnecessary hurdles in the process required to obtain a concealed weapons license.  Too many legislators are acting as if there are not 48 other states with such concealed carry laws and that there is no way of determining what works and what does not.  The time for guessing has ended!

We have provided two documents that will further inform you about this fight for your rights.  One is a summary of the bills, with details regarding the “shall issue” carry license bill, and the other is a comprehensive Questions and Answers document.

In addition to contacting legislators, it is very important that we have a strong showing of support at the committee hearings that have been scheduled.  You can rest assured that the anti-freedom forces will be there and they must be countered.  These two hearings are scheduled for the same day so please choose the one that is best for you:

Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections
Thursday, May 12 at 10:30 a.m.
State Capitol Building
Room 417 North
Madison, WI
(only the “shall issue” carry license bill will be heard) 

Senate Committee on Judiciary
Thursday, May 12 at 12:30 p.m.
UW Marathon County
Center for Civic Engagement
625 Stewart Street Wausau, WI
(both bills will be heard) 

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 SOON!  YOUR FREEDOM DEPENDS ON IT!