Wisconsin
Governor Signs New Gun Laws Into Effect
Thanks to Governor Scott Walker, active
duty personnel stationed in Wisconsin may now have an easier time applying for
and being granted their carry permit. Also, retired law enforcement officers
from other states will now have an easier time of obtaining a permit as well.
Both of these measures passed with broad support. Surprisingly, the law making
stiffer penalties for criminals, with increased fines and jail time, was met
with contention. In the end, it too passed.
Assembly Bill 75 sets aside a current policy by the
Wisconsin Department of Justice that all who apply for a concealed weapons
permit be a resident by creating an exception for applicants who are residents
of other states but are military service members stationed in Wisconsin for at
least a year.
Assembly Bill 77 allows for former and
retired law enforcement officers from states other than Wisconsin to apply to
the state DOJ for a license to carry a concealed weapon under the guidelines of
the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act. Under current guidelines, former
officers would have to return to their old departments for annual
qualification. The new law would allow them to qualify at DOJ ranges in
Wisconsin.
The final measure, AB 220, was the most
controversial of the trio of bills signed. The bill establishes that felons
found with a gun would have to be sentenced to a minimum of three years in
prison. Those using a weapon in a violent crime would garner at least eight
years.
Current state law allows for a maximum
$25,000 fine coupled with up to ten additional years in prison. However, with
no minimum sentencing guidelines, judges may authorize little to no jail time
for these felons. The opposition argued that increasing prison time and fines
was the wrong approach to take, stating that better social programs were the
better route.
More gun bills await Governor Walker,
including one that passed the house and legislature allowing retired and active
duty corrections officers to carry firearms in gun-free zones.
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