Rock River Patriots

By Collin Roth

Of all the legislation passed in the last session of the Wisconsin legislature, perhaps no bill showed more the Tea Party impact on Republican legislators than the concealed carry legislation passed Tuesday in the Assembly. For a number of years, Second Amendment conservatives chafed at being one of only two states in the country that do not have some form of concealed carry. And despite two vetoes by Democratic Governor Jim Doyle, a tumultuous legislative session primarily focused on the budget, and the threat of recall elections for six state senators, Tea Party conservatives kept the pressure on to bring concealed carry legislation to a vote in this session.

Annette Olson of the pro-2nd Amendment organization Un-infringed Liberty called the passage of concealed carry legislation yesterday a “huge step.” Olson said her organization allied with Tea Party groups from around the state to work with legislators in order to bring concealed carry legislation to a vote before the end of this legislative session. And while Olson and many Tea Party activists were disappointed when the Constitutional Carry Bill proposed by Senator Pam Galloway was amended to include permits and mandatory training, she reiterated that Tuesday was a “really fantastic day” and she looks forward to “respectfully working with legislators” in the future to pass Constitutional Carry.

Un-infringed Liberty has worked actively in Wisconsin for around 2 1/2 years, promoting open carry through educational events while lobbying for Constitutional Carry legislation.

Having passed the Senate last week 25-8, the concealed carry bill passed the Assembly 68-27 with all 56 Republicans voting for the bill, 11 Democrats, and one independent. It now heads to Governor Scott Walker’s desk where it is likely to be signed into law.