Wisconsin Governor Walker’s Gun Rights F-Grade Well-Deserved

Wisconsin Governor Walker’s F-Grade Gun Rights Well-Deserved
By Corey Graff, Executive Director WGO

Wisconsin Gun Owners

Wisconsin --(Ammoland.com)- Governor Scott Walker and state republicans trash Constitutional Carry. Do they work for the police, or for you?

If there were any lingering doubters left contemplating the fairness of the failing grade issued to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker by WGO (issued even before he was elected as a result of his failure to answer a simple gun rights survey), then the Governor’s actions in the last couple weeks ought to have taken care of any stubborn holdouts. Or so we should hope.

For months on end my staff and I attempted to get a straight answer from Walker’s office on the question of Constitutional Carry, and each time we were met with the same robotic stonewalling.

“Governor Walker has said he will sign a concealed carry bill that makes it to his desk,” said the gatekeepers.
“Governor Walker has said he will sign a concealed carry bill that makes it to his desk,” they said, again. It almost seemed as if they were repeating themselves.

Indeed, but what about Constitutional Carry? We got our answer just last week as WGO and the Wisconsin Campaign for Liberty turned up grassroots pressure on SB93 — the no-permit “Constitutional Carry” bill authored by State Senator Pam Galloway — and state media began to report that state legislators were “leaning toward Constitutional Carry.” It was then that Walker swooped out of the clouds and took a boot to the face of liberty.

Just in time, this hero of big government and do-gooder for the emerging police state ripped your right to bear arms from the jaws of victory.

According to WEAU-13 news Eau Claire, “Walker issued a statement Friday saying any bill that reaches his desk should include a permit and training.”

And there you have it: Scott Walker loses the respect of gun owners as he — ignoring tens of thousands of WGO member petitions, phone calls and e-mails delivered to his office — snuggles up to anti-gun police organizations while knifing gun owners in the back.

Constitutional Carry Fight Just Beginning
Yes, I know the institutional gun lobby initially gave lip service to SB93 — which, at the time of this writing has magically morphed into the NRA’s Personal Protection Act (PPA) — and they claim any concealed carry bill is a step in the right direction.

They also assert that in nearly every other state where Constitutional Carry has passed, it is always preceded by acceptance of a permit bill, paving the way like the Lewis and Clark of gun rights. But there’s a problem with this excuse: Those states don’t boast majorities or a coveted super-trifecta of newly elected republicans. It’s one thing to argue for incrementalism when you’re politically outgunned; it’s another thing to preemptively concede the battle when you’re in power, which is precisely what state republicans have done by taking Constitutional Carry off the table.

As of this writing, I expect the permit-to-carry bill to pass, but the real test is what happens afterward when things quiet down. That’s when state politicians will tell gun owners to shut up and go away, “we gave you your carry bill,” they will say. And many will.

But not us. You see, the fire for Constitutional Carry has already been lit. The people have gotten a taste for the political feasibility of liberty only to have it yanked away not by anti-gun democrats, but by republicans who are working for state police rather than for them. What that means for Walker, and the other F-rated big-government antigun republicans in the Wisconsin legislature, is this:

If you fought against Constitutional Carry, your F-rating is well-deserved, a fact that will not be lost on voters in upcoming elections.

About:
WGO works for grassroots gun owners, not politicians. While many gun lobbies fight for “reasonable gun control,” WGO sets a higher standard: Defining the terrain of pro-gun political battle. Sure, many groups claim they’re “pro-gun” – all the while they provide cover for anti-gun deals cut by politicians – but only WGO truly informs gun owners, remaining committed to a 100% pro-gun position. We oppose all gun control – regardless of the political party – and work tirelessly to restore the Second Amendment. Visit www.wisconsingunowners.org

Recent Comments

Charmaine KLaus: This law must be kept as written. Citizens have a right to defend themselves outside of their home...
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chad collins: This article says some good things but don’t forget president Bush and the Republican party are...
Aide Lym: Aw, this is an incredibly nice post. In idea I would like to put in writing such as this additionally...
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F rating, really?

It’s not like Walker vetoed concealed carry like the previous Governor did.

I can see not giving him an A rating, but F?

Look at the big picture and you’ll see 4 States with Constitutional Carry. Most are Shall Issue only. Do all the Governors who signed Shall Issue over the last 20 years get an F?

Constitutional Carry should be the long term goal, and getting their thru incremental improvements is not necessarily a bad thing.

Walker should get no lower then a B or C rating.

Comment link | Dan O | July 1st, 2011 at 10:42 AM

Walker could just as easily have signed a Constitutional Carry bill rather than an Unconstitutional Carry bill.

The bill doesn’t represent testimony at the hearings or even the GOP platform. What/who does it represent?
Not gun owners, except for those so desperate that they will thank their rulers for a few crumbs thrown their way.

“Long term goal”? It has been 13 years since the Keep and Bear Arms amendment was added to our constitution. How long before state laws comply with our constitution?

Comment link | Jim Maas | July 1st, 2011 at 9:48 PM

It would be hard for our Gov. to sign a bill that did not come to him . The bill that has been passed is a Shall Issue Bill because it is the bill that was acceptable to our elected officials Had Constitutional Carry been Acceptable to our Senators, and Representatives Gov. Walker probably would have signed it , but that is not the bill he is getting. I say be happy for what you get and don’t whine so much over what did not get through. As a wis gun owner I am as happy as a cat with a clean sandbox that we got what we did considering the past history of our attempts.. Thankyou Senators ,Assemblymen, and Governor Walker for affirming our 2nd ammenment rights, I Can’t wait to get my permit.

Comment link | rob Johnson | July 2nd, 2011 at 10:07 PM

Never knew there was a group even more extreme right than the NRA.

This article proved me wrong.

You constitution nuts slay me

Simply amazing.

In a very bad way.

Comment link | E | July 9th, 2011 at 10:46 AM