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Wisconsin Hunters Rights Coalition Applauds Governor’s Quick Action on Pro-Hunting Legislation
On November 4, 2011 the Governor signed two recently passed pro-hunting bills – SB 228 and SB 75 – into law.

Wisconsin Hunters Rights Coalition Applauds Governor's Quick Action on Pro-Hunting Legislation

Wisconsin Firearm Owners, Ranges, Clubs & Educators

Wisconsin --(Ammoland.com)- The Gun Case Bill, SB 228, just passed through the Assembly yesterday. No longer will Wisconsin have the most restrictive gun case law in the country.

It is currently illegal to lay an uncased and unloaded firearm on the trunk of your car as you tighten your boots.

“Thanks to the Governor’s quick action in signing this legislation, hunters will be able to exercise safer handling of their firearms already in the 2011 deer season,” said Carl Schoettel, Vice President of the Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association. “Wisconsin’s gun case law has been completely impractical and has done nothing but penalize hunters for an irrelevant action, giving Wisconsin the reputation of being unfriendly to hunters.”

SB 228 is very straightforward, allowing hunters to have uncased and unloaded guns, bows and crossbows in or on their vehicle. Placing the firearm on or in the vehicle is often the safest and most practical place. Hunters should not have to put their firearm in the snow as they get out their gun-case every time they get back to their vehicle.

The other bill being signed today – SB 75 – from Senator Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls) and Representative Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst), helps preserve the integrity of Wisconsin’s deer hunting seasons by permanently ending Earn-a-Buck and making October T-Zone hunts into a rarity.

“We thank the Governor for recognizing that the intention of these programs was to help maintain our deer herds and all we have to show for it is an increase in tagging violations thanks to inaccurate registrations and population estimates” said SCI Central President Joe Koback.

The programs have been incredibly unpopular and the only measurable impact on hunting has been to turn some hunters away from the sport. The Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) own statistics show fewer hunters are hunting and less deer are being harvested while their own deer population numbers continue to grow.

The Hunters Rights Coalition is Wisconsin’s only group 100% dedicated to advancing hunting opportunities and protecting the rights of Wisconsin’s hunters. The Coalition is made up of several groups including: The Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association, Wisconsin Chapters of Safari Club International, and Wisconsin Firearm Owners, Ranges, Clubs, and Educators Inc.

For more information please contact our representative: Bob Welch 608-819-0150

About:
Wi-FORCE promotes and protects the shooting sports, hunting, and the lawful ownership and use of firearms in Wisconsin. We coordinate match schedules of member clubs, sanction the state championship matches, monitor and recommend legislation, and provide training and educational programs for our members, competitors and Wisconsin shooters. Wi-FORCE supports the interaction and education of all individuals and groups interested in the shooting sports and the natural right of citizens to own arms. Visit: www.wi-force.org

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Wisconsin Legislative Committee Reins in Overreaching Department of Justice

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- Earlier, the Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) voted in a 7 to 2 bi-partisan effort to address and eliminate portions of the emergency rules promulgated by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to implement Wisconsin Act 35, the new concealed carry law.

The Committee’s action focused on several portions of the emergency rules offered by Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen’s DOJ that exceeded his statutory authority and ignored clear legislative intent.

One of the most important actions involved the Legislature eliminating many of the onerous requirements associated with the information that must be provided on a license applicant’s training certificate (no training certificates issued anywhere in the country met the DOJ criteria prior to the announcement of the emergency rules).

Another involved the elimination of the requirement that all training classes be a minimum of four hours. This is an issue the Legislature debated during the process that culminated in the passage of the new law and it is clear that it never intended for the DOJ to impose any specific curriculum or length of training class requirements.

The NRA applauds members of the committee for ensuring the legislative intent and letter of the law is respected by the DOJ as it implements this essential self-defense law. Assembly Leader Scott Suder (R-69) deserves special thanks for his outstanding leadership in this rules review process.

Please contact and thank members of the JCRAR committee and Assembly Majority Leader Scott Suder and thank them for ensuring the opportunity of Wisconsin residents to defend themselves and their families is not arbitrarily restricted.

About:
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Four million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and to advocate enforcement of existing laws against violent offenders to reduce crime. The Association remains the nation’s leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit: www.nra.org

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