Lawmakers on Tuesday defended against critics who opposed a legislative panel's decision to remove certain training requirements from recently passed legislation allowing licensed holders to carry concealed weapons.
Act 35, which took effect Nov. 1, included a four-hour training requirement for a concealed carry permit, a rule implemented by Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen and the state's Department of Justice.
The Joint Administrative Rules Panel voted Monday to remove the rule, along with a requirement that program instructors complete eight hours of training before leading concealed carry courses.
Jason Rostan, committee clerk for Joint Administrative Rules Panel Co-Chair Sen. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa, said the changes addressed the "failure" of some rules to meet the legislation's goal.
Lawmakers did not specify a training period in the original bill, Rostan said, and the justice department's inclusion of a four-hour requirement was contrary to their intent.
According to Rostan, some individuals may need more than four hours of training and some may need less, but the individual and their instructor should determine the appropriate hourly requirement.
"At the end, we are trying to create a situation that works best for the individual, works best for the instructors and still creates a safe environment for everybody in the state," Rostan said.
In a press release, the National Rifle Association "applauded" eliminating the training requirement, while some Wisconsin anti-violence and progressive groups derided the change.
"The only saving grace [Act 35] had was the fact that there were these requirements," UW-Madison Young Progressives Vice President Sam Gehler said. "The elimination of those requirements does not bode very well for the safety of the people of Wisconsin."
Gehler compared hurdles to receiving a driver's license to the "less stringent requirements" now in place for permits to carry concealed weapons, "which are designed to kill people."
