Concealed-weapons ban upheld by one vote
11:35 PM 2/03/04
Scott Milfred State government reporter

By a single vote, the state Assembly on Tuesday upheld Wisconsin's 130-year ban on concealed weapons, setting up an election-year battle over the issue that at least one lawmaker acknowledged could cost him his job. <

"I don't think it will, but I don't think it's inconceivable," said Rep. Gary Sherman, D-Port Wing, who switched his vote and opposed the conceal-carry bill even though Sherman had been one of its co-sponsors. <

Sherman's switch left the Republican-run Assembly one vote short of the 66 it needed to achieve a two-thirds majority that would have completed an override of Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle's veto. The vote was 65-34, with all Republicans and six Democrats supporting the override. <

The GOP-led Senate overrode the veto last month with a 23-10 vote. <

"We're coming back," promised Rep. Scott Gunderson, R-Union Grove, a sport store owner who led the push to legalize concealed guns. "This bill will be back in January. And we will continue to move forward." <

The bill, SB 214, would have allowed sheriffs to issue permits allowing certain people to carry concealed weapons. Applicants would have had to be 21 or older with no felony convictions in the previous three years. They could not be incompetent, mentally ill or addicted to drugs or alcohol. They also would have to pass firearms training and a background check. <

"Do we need more guns in Milwaukee? I don't think so," declared Rep. Leon Young, D-Milwaukee, during floor debate. <

Rep. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, another opponent, recalled her parents being killed by gunfire. <

"We need to stand tall with the overwhelming number of Wisconsin citizens who don't want the uncertainty of knowing hidden guns and weapons and knives and tazers and billy clubs are in our streets and hidden under the seats of our cars and in glove boxes," Shilling said. <

Sherman said he changed his vote to protect his governor and what limited power the minority Assembly Democrats have. <

"If you don't have the discipline to stick together as a group, you don't have anything to do with governing," Sherman said. <

The Legislature has not overridden a governor's veto in more than 18 years. Doyle didn't want the dubious distinction of breaking that streak. It would have invited more challenges and weakened him in the eyes of the public and colleagues, some Democrats said. <

Supporting the governor will let Sherman work more effectively on helping his district with high unemployment and property taxes, low incomes and financially strapped schools, he said. <

Sherman also stressed that two Republicans switched their votes Tuesday: Reps. Luther Olsen of Berlin and John Townsend of Fond du Lac. <

"That changed the entire nature of what was going on here," Sherman said. "This was no longer an issue of concealed carry. They made it a partisan issue." <

Olsen said he voted for the bill because he fears a less-restrictive bill might pass next legislative session. <

"This reminds me of a school referendum - it keeps coming back and coming back until it passes," Olsen said. <

Wisconsin is one of only six states that don't allow concealed weapons. That list will shrink to five this spring when an Ohio law takes effect. The list could further shrink to four if Missouri's concealed-weapons law holds up in court. <

Sherman expects the National Rifle Association to target him in the fall elections. His acknowledged many people in his rural North Woods district own guns and probably support permits for concealing them. <

Asked if Tuesday's vote would be worth it if he loses his seat this fall, Sherman said, "I believe in political courage. I didn't come down here to play odds and percentages and chicken out. .