by Dave Workman
Senior Editor

Anti-gun Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle followed through on his threat to veto once again concealed carry legislation in the Badger State, and as this issue of Gun Week went to press, the Republican-controlled legislature was getting ready for a veto override.

This time, say the bill’s proponents, that override may happen. Two years ago, after Doyle vetoed an earlier concealed carry bill, the override lost by a single vote in the Assembly, when Rep. Gary Sherman (D-Port Wing) crossed over to support the veto. Sherman was an original supporter of that legislation.

As lawmakers began counting heads for the vote, the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort (WAVE), the state’s leading anti-gun organization, began lobbying to protect the veto. In a statement to the media, WAVE Executive Director Jeri Bonavia said lawmakers voting to override would be “doing the bidding of the gun lobby by putting more deadly handguns on the streets.”

However, Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, fired back noting, “Once again, Jim Doyle has allowed his personal prejudice against gunowners to override his responsibility to uphold all tenets of the state constitution.”

He accused Doyle of “kowtowing to the anti-gun lobby, which is never happier than it is when innocent people are being robbed, raped or murdered, just so they can add to their statistical body count as a means to press their agenda.”

Doyle, who is up for re-election this Fall, has been slipping in the polls lately and his veto is not likely to bring any gunowners to his campaign. He was quoted by The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel contending, “This bill does not create a single job, help a single Wisconsin citizen afford health care or improve schools for a single Wisconsin child.”

Wisconsin is one of only four states without some type of concealed carry provision. In 38 states, there are “right-to-carry” laws on the books that mandate the issuance of a concealed pistol license to any citizen who qualifies. Vermont and Alaska do not require licenses to carry handguns openly or concealed, although Alaska does have a statute providing for the issuance of carry licenses, so Alaska residents could carry in other states that recognize Alaska licenses.

The irony is that Wisconsin has a very strong state constitutional amendment that guarantees that “the people have the right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation or any other lawful purpose.”

This year’s bill, sponsored by Sen. Dave Zien and Rep. Scott Gunderson passed the Senate by a two-thirds majority, but passed the Assembly on a 64-32 vote, which would be two shy of a veto-proof majority. Republicans expected to have the necessary votes, though at least one member of the Assembly, John Steinbrink, was rumored to have changed his position following Doyle’s veto. Steinbrink originally voted for the measure.

Doyle’s Republican challengers are Congressman Mark Green of Green Bay and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, both of whom support the concealed carry measure.