A day after the release of a statewide poll showing 90% support for requiring training and background checks, the State Senate Judiciary Committee approved a concealed carry proposal that does neither.
Republicans on the committee rejected amendments to require training and background checks, and even some common-sense restrictions on where a gun can be carried.
The bill recommended for passage would allow guns in taverns and domestic abuse shelters, as well as just about everywhere else.
Patti Seger, executive director of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WCADV), said, “It defies belief that we would not create a deterrent for abusers who track down victims in hiding while carrying a firearm. A responsible gun owner would never bring a gun to a domestic violence agency and could also pass a background check and go through training. The bill that is moving forward seems designed to accommodate exactly the people we want to guard against.”
Another defeated amendment would have allowed business owners to ask people packing guns to leave.
A statewide survey done for the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE) found 93% support for criminal background checks and 90% support for mandatory "hands on" training.