A bill allowing licensed Wis. residents to carry concealed weapons was stopped Tuesday as the state Assembly voted to uphold Gov. Jim Doyle's veto.
The Assembly voted 64 to 34 to uphold the governor's veto, failing to reach the two-thirds vote needed to make Senate Bill 403 into law. The bill would have created a licensing system under which individuals could carry a concealed weapon under special circumstances.
State Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, spoke in favor of the outcome, citing the veto override's failure as a victory for the people of Wisconsin.
'If this bill would have become law, it would have threatened public safety,' Black said. 'There would be guns in day-care centers, parks, playgrounds and college campuses; places where guns certainly don't belong.'
Republicans and other supporters of the bill expressed disappointment in the Assembly's vote.
'Wisconsin is one of only four states that have absolutely no provision for people to carry concealed weapons for their own defense,' said Bob Burton, President of the Wisconsin Rifle and Pistol Association.
'I don't think Wisconsinites are so bad that you can't trust them whereas 46 other states can,' Burton said.
Mike Bruhn, spokesperson for state Rep. Scott Gunderson, R-Waterford, said he was disappointed in Assembly Democrats who had previously expressed support for the bill, but voted against it during Tuesday's session.
'It's very disappointing [Democrats] would choose politics over what they believe in their hearts ?? and choose their governor over individuals who may be victimized by crime,' Bruhn said.
Mike Prentiss, spokesperson for state Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said the governor's pressure on Assembly Democrats was 'no secret.'
'Gov. Doyle was pulling out all the stops to pressure Assembly democrats,' Prentiss said. 'Senate Democrats didn't cave into pressure, [but] unfortunately a couple of the Assembly Democrats did.'
Joe Wineke, Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, praised the result of the Assembly vote, in a press release Tuesday.
'I applaud Assembly Democrats for standing with the vast majority of law enforcement and citizens in Wisconsin in upholding Governor Doyle's veto of the concealed carry bill,' Wineke wrote.
'In the last few weeks, a vast majority of Wisconsin citizens who oppose the bill have started speaking out [and] making their voices heard,' Black said.
Although the concealed weapons bill did not pass through the Assembly, those in favor remain confident a similar bill will return to the legislature next session.
'Down the road there will be a continued effort to pass a law similar to this,' Prentiss said. 'Next time around we may have a different governor and a different outcome.'
