Wisconsin close to being the 49th State to allowed Concealed Carry

The vote was overwhelming. The Senate passed the bill by a 25 to 8 vote, with six Democrats voting with all 19 Republicans. There is a $50 fee and a training requirement. This the third time in a decade that the state Senate has given at least a two-thirds vote for such a bill, but this time with a Republican governor the bill will get signed. A long article on the bill is available here.

The state Senate passed a measure Tuesday allowing people to carry concealed weapons by a 25-8 margin, getting votes from all 19 Republicans and six Democrats, including Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee). . . .

The measure now goes to the Assembly, where it is expected to pass. It would then go to Gov. Scott Walker, who supports the bill.

"This is a great victory for the people of Wisconsin and for the 2nd Amendment," Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said in a statement. "The right to protect ourselves by legally carrying a firearm is long overdue and I'm glad we're joining 48 other states with this law - finally."

The measure would require people to get training and permits to carry concealed weapons, after some Republicans earlier pushed a bill that would let people do so without training or permits.

Wisconsin and Illinois are the only states that have outright bans on carrying concealed weapons. Gun rights advocates for years have pushed allowing concealed weapons in Wisconsin, but they were thwarted by then-Gov. Jim Doyle or Democrats in the Legislature.

Under the bill, the state Department of Justice would have to issue permits to state residents 21 or over who got training and cleared background checks that showed they were not felons or otherwise prohibited from carrying guns. . . .