MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN — Gov. Scott Walker plans on continuing to expand gun rights in Wisconsin by signing in two measures into law – Senate bills 35 and 70.
According to the Washington Post, one is to repeal the 48 hour wait period all residents of Wisconsin must wait before purchasing a firearm and the other allows off-duty duty and retired police officers to carry concealed firearms into schools. Both measures are expected to compliment the existing laws and form the basis for Walker’s ambitious expansion of gun rights for citizens of the State of Wisconsin.
One of the reasons Gov. Walker gave for the repealing of the 48 hour wait limit was that gun dealers were able to run instant background checks – making the wait period pointless. Wisconsin Democrats had long felt the 48 hour waiting period was justified as a “cooling down” time for those contemplating suicide or using a firearm against other people. Of course, for Wisconsin Democrats who’ve struggled to hold any ground in state elections, it’s absolutely any excuse to hold on to the few remaining firearm laws left on the books.
This mentality of needing a “cooling down” period has long since been abandoned as there is no statistical evidence or studies that successfully correlate “waiting periods” with reduced or increased incidences of suicide or aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. If one of our readers knows of such a study – please let us know!
And a measure that’s sure to win hearts and minds, before an expected run for the presidency of the United States, is allowing off-duty police and retired police to carry concealed firearms onto schools. This measure increases the number of duly trained people who can respond to an active incident on a moment’s notice versus waiting for on-duty police to arrive.
A Long Track Record Of Supporting Gun Rights
Starting back in March of this year, Walker has made multiple signs that he intended to endorse and sign into law both Senate bills. Just like Gov. Abbott in Texas and others around the country, GOP Governors have been at the forefront of signing in legislation that expands gun rights for law abiding citizens.
These two most recent Senate bills are the capstones on a long run of gun-friendly legislation during his term. Previously, he signed in a Right-to-Carry act which made self-defense for law-abiding citizens in Wisconsin much more accessible and he was pivotal in ensuring Wisconsin had a version of the Castle Doctrine that protects homeowners and property managers in the event they have to protect themselves.
All this and more has made Gov. Walker an “A+” rated candidate from the National Rifle Association and placed him at the forefront of gun friendly candidates running for President of the United States in 2016.
The real question, if he’s elected – would he advise the United States Congress to form a national reciprocity bill for concealed carriers? What would his national strategy be to enable gun owners in all fifty states to carry peaceably? Could he be the candidate to finally promote national constitutional carry?
The NRA seems to think a Walker candidacy certainly holds well with their agenda. And as Walker is expected to announce his run in mid-July, perhaps we’ll all get to see what a Walker presidency looks like.
Do you have any ideas on how national concealed carry reciprocity should behave? Tell us about it in the comments section below (and write your representative).