Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed legislation that ends the 48-hour waiting period on handgun purchases in the Badger State.
By Dave Workman | Senior Editor
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has signed two pieces of legislation that push gun rights ahead in the Badger State, including one measure that is already being criticized by anti-gunners.
One bill puts an end to the state’s 48-hour waiting period on handgun sales, while another legalizes the carry of concealed handguns by off-duty, retired and out-of-state law enforcement officers on public school grounds.
Ending the waiting period was the latest in a string of gun rights victories under the Walker administration. When he was elected four years ago, he made good on a campaign vow to sign concealed carry legislation, and also signed so-called “castle doctrine” legislation bolstering the rights of law abiding citizens to defend their homes.
This time around, the governor put an end to a law that has essentially considered handgun-buyers guilty of impulsive violence by imposing a two-day “cooling off” period. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, “Republicans have said the 48-hour waiting period is a ‘time tax’ and is no longer necessary because of advancements in technology that allow background checks to be conducted quickly.”
The newspaper noted that these critics “have warned the waiting period also serves as a cooling-off period, especially in domestic violence cases.”
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker
But that rhetoric was almost immediately countered by gun rights and self-defense advocates quoted by the Associated Press.
“Supporters of eliminating the waiting period,” the story noted, “said it’ll better allow people to protect themselves, while opponents said it would lead to people caught up in fits of rage or depression to obtain weapons quickly.
“Supporters also say it inconveniences law-abiding citizens, that background checks can be completed in hours and women would be able to get guns faster to protect themselves and their families from abusers,” the story added.
Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett, who not only lost to Walker in the 2010 election but also in the 2012 failed recall effort, is one of the new law’s critics. He accused the governor of “hypocrisy” and trying to curry favor with the National Rifle Association “And bragging about how they have made it easier for people in this state to carry guns.”
The other measure is far less controversial, in that it allows retired and off-duty law enforcement, and out-of-state police officers, to carry guns on public school grounds. It underscores what NRA proposed three years ago, following the Sandy Hook attack, regarding armed security at public school facilities.
