Amid heated and lengthy debates that dragged into the early morning hours, Republican lawmakers rejected numerous amendments preceeding a vote which, as of press time, was expected to pass the concealed carry bill.
Gov. Jim Doyle has pledged to veto the bill, but a two-thirds majority in the Assembly and Senate would override his veto.
Republicans and Democrats held lengthy caucuses to plan their strategies for the session and an amendment added Tuesday could bring on a key Democrat's vote, legislators said.
State Rep. Scott Gunderson, R-Waterford, the Assembly sponsor of the bill, said a bi-partisan amendment introduced by state reps. Mary Hubler, D-Rice Lake and Brett Davis, R-Oregon, was an attempt to make the bill more palatable by making a partial compromise with Democrats.
The proposed amendment would lower the legal blood alcohol limit for carrying a concealed weapon from .08 to .02, expand the gun-free school zone an additional 100 feet and mandate a re-certification program that would require gun permit holders to renew their license every five years.
Despite the amendment, many Democratic legislators said they still opposed the bill.
'The new amendments will pass, but it won't change enough. There are still small businesses, colleges and law enforcement that wouldn't be protected,' said state Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison. 'This bill is too extreme. It has too many problems.'
State Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison, said even with the new amendment, the bill is still flawed on many levels and endangers Wisconsin citizens.
Republican lawmakers voted down Democrats' amendments one after another.
In regard to an amendment to prohibit guns in Miller Park, Gunderson noted that people in Florida can carry guns into Disneyworld.
'It's not an issue across this country and it certainly will not be issue in Wisconsin once it passes here,' he said.
Assembly Bill 403 passed the Senate last week, but if the Assembly passes it with amendments, it will have to return to the Senate because it has changed.
