Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen responded Thursday to the National Rifle Association's Oct. 5 letter on the Department of Justice's interpretation of a new law allowing gun owners to carry concealed weapons, saying the department's interpretation of the law is sound.
""The legislature created the training requirement,"" Van Hollen said, referring to the required four hours necessary established by the DOJ to obtain the permit. ""We merely interpreted the statutory language as narrowly as possible to carry out the legislature's intent.""
Chris Cox, executive director for NRA Institute for Legislative Action, had written he was concerned with DOJ rules requiring four-hour trainings to get permits. He argued NRA's programs would already fulfill the training requirement and not need DOJ approval.
Cox said a ""one-size-fits-all"" training requirement would dissuade eligible applicants from trying to get permits.
But Van Hollen said the implications of saying the DOJ has no power to determine a firearms training course are ""absurd.""
""We simply cannot identify and accommodate every private
