The Wisconsin state Senate voted 28-5 Tuesday to adopt a new proposed amendment to concealed carry legislation in an attempt to make the bill more palatable to Democrats.
The amendment, attached to Senate Bill 403, lowers the blood alcohol limit for carrying a concealed weapon from .08 to .02, adds 100 feet to the gun-free school zones, makes the filing of a false application a felony instead of a misdemeanor, and requires citizens with gun permits to go through a re-certification program every five years.
Even with the new amendment's passage, critics expect Gov. Jim Doyle to veto the bill once it reaches his desk. In 2003, Doyle vetoed a similar bill, but the state Assembly fell one vote short of overriding his veto.
This time around, with the new provisions made by the amendment, politicians hope to override the veto. Mike Prentiss, spokesperson for state Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said the numbers are looking good because the necessary clarifications in the bill were made.
'Some, if not all of the police organizations that had previously no position or had been against the bill, [are now] in support of it,' Fitzgerald said.
Still, some legislators have reservations about the bill being passed. State Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, said his concerns about the bill include the lack of law enforcement's power, and may inadvertently protect criminals in some cases.
For example, Risser feared in some instances of domestic violence, police would be unable to search the premises for a handgun if the citizen has a gun permit.
Additionally, Risser said he believed the amendment 'did not improve the bill at all.' Risser compared the passage of the amendment with sugaring an onion, and said the bill had no good public policy behind it.
While some fear the passage of the concealed carry bill will increase the rate of crime, Prentiss dismisses those concerns.
'In other states that have concealed carry permits not a single person who has a permit has been arrested for a crime involving a gun,' Prentiss said.
Justin Sargent, spokesperson from state Senate Minority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, said senators occasionally concur on amendments to pieces of legislation.
Sargent said this by no means infers the senators agree with the bill, but that they support the changes added by the amendment.
