phred
Regular Member
The Senate hearing went very well. Most spoke in favor of both bills being passed or some kind of a blend of Constitutional Carry with an optional permit. A few antis spoke but the Pros to Cons ratio was about 5 to 1. About 90 people registered a preference FOR the bills and about 30 opposed any type of concealed carry. The whole atmosphere was polite and well-mannered.
Three speakers representing the NRA, Brent Gardner (Grassroots Coordinator), Buster Bachuber (NRA Board of Directors), and Jeff Nass (WI-FORCE) all spoke very well in favor of both bills.
Several Safety/Training Instructors supported both bills and did not favor any mandated training. Gene German was in favor of SB90 but not SB 93 because of the Federal GFSZ and reciprocity issues.
There were 2 chiefs of police that spoke. The one from Endeavor who was the very first speaker, did a fantastic job, was well articulated, and supported both bills with no training mandate. He was also the head of a training business. The other chief was from Wausau. He opposed SB93 and he wanted more restrictions put on SB90 such as high levels of training and many places that would be restricted to carry.
The perspective of many who spoke centered around the idea that the government should be trusting of Law abiding citizens and they did not want any more permits, and taxes.
Overall, I was impressed. I thought there would have been many more people and especially many more antis. Most of the support was for Constitutional Carry. Anybody who says that Constitutional Carry is dead in the water is gravely mistaken.
btw, I met and talked to all three Republican Senators. Neal Kedzie knows Paul Fisher quite well and said to say "hi". It seems they chat often!! Thanks Paul for all your work. They all were very optimistic for both bills.
The NRA Grassroots meeting was, well, the NRA. It was good on that it was informative, but the recruitment angle was very noticeable. The sheer size and power of the NRA was evident. Well over 100 people were in attendance.(in a room for 40). I could tell that it was a well-oiled machine. The 3 Republican Senators were there at the start and it was good for them to see the supportive crowd.
Several points were brought up. The permit bill will satisfy reciprocity in about 18 states without a training mandate and it will give a person a free ticket through the GFSZ. SB93 will not suffice in those areas.
However, IMHO, we should still be pushing darn hard for SB93 simply to have it in the books for when the Federal GFSZ Act is done away with. There are some, even many, that do not want to get a permit. We will probably not get a better chance than now to get Constitutional Carry.
Also, FYI
What: 29th Senate District Concealed Carry/Constitutional Carry Meet-Your-Senator Event
Where: Culver's in Rothschild - corner of Cty XX and Business 51
When: Monday May 16th at 5:30 PM
Senator Pam Gallowy (29th District) has been invited to attend. Her aide replied and this date/time is now marked on her calendar. He said she would be happy to attend. I reminded her of this today and she is excited and planning to be there.
As usual, Open-carry is encouraged but not required. If you are planning to come to this, please PM me so I can let Culver's know if a goodly crowd will be expected.
Three speakers representing the NRA, Brent Gardner (Grassroots Coordinator), Buster Bachuber (NRA Board of Directors), and Jeff Nass (WI-FORCE) all spoke very well in favor of both bills.
Several Safety/Training Instructors supported both bills and did not favor any mandated training. Gene German was in favor of SB90 but not SB 93 because of the Federal GFSZ and reciprocity issues.
There were 2 chiefs of police that spoke. The one from Endeavor who was the very first speaker, did a fantastic job, was well articulated, and supported both bills with no training mandate. He was also the head of a training business. The other chief was from Wausau. He opposed SB93 and he wanted more restrictions put on SB90 such as high levels of training and many places that would be restricted to carry.
The perspective of many who spoke centered around the idea that the government should be trusting of Law abiding citizens and they did not want any more permits, and taxes.
Overall, I was impressed. I thought there would have been many more people and especially many more antis. Most of the support was for Constitutional Carry. Anybody who says that Constitutional Carry is dead in the water is gravely mistaken.
btw, I met and talked to all three Republican Senators. Neal Kedzie knows Paul Fisher quite well and said to say "hi". It seems they chat often!! Thanks Paul for all your work. They all were very optimistic for both bills.
The NRA Grassroots meeting was, well, the NRA. It was good on that it was informative, but the recruitment angle was very noticeable. The sheer size and power of the NRA was evident. Well over 100 people were in attendance.(in a room for 40). I could tell that it was a well-oiled machine. The 3 Republican Senators were there at the start and it was good for them to see the supportive crowd.
Several points were brought up. The permit bill will satisfy reciprocity in about 18 states without a training mandate and it will give a person a free ticket through the GFSZ. SB93 will not suffice in those areas.
However, IMHO, we should still be pushing darn hard for SB93 simply to have it in the books for when the Federal GFSZ Act is done away with. There are some, even many, that do not want to get a permit. We will probably not get a better chance than now to get Constitutional Carry.
Also, FYI
What: 29th Senate District Concealed Carry/Constitutional Carry Meet-Your-Senator Event
Where: Culver's in Rothschild - corner of Cty XX and Business 51
When: Monday May 16th at 5:30 PM
Senator Pam Gallowy (29th District) has been invited to attend. Her aide replied and this date/time is now marked on her calendar. He said she would be happy to attend. I reminded her of this today and she is excited and planning to be there.
As usual, Open-carry is encouraged but not required. If you are planning to come to this, please PM me so I can let Culver's know if a goodly crowd will be expected.
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