Support Our Sponsors:
Madison - 12.07.05
With the state Senate now having passed the Personal Protection Act shall-issue concealed carry bill, and by a veto-proof margin, the vote now moves to the Assembly.
The Assembly is scheduled to vote on the bill next Tuesday, December 13th.
The Assembly vote is even more critical than the Senate vote, because the numbers are tighter. We need six Democrats to join the Assembly Republicans in order to have enough votes to override Governor Doyle's promised veto.
We are within one or perhaps two votes of having the numbers we need.
All along, we've been telling you that there are good reasons to believe that we have a better chance of an override this year than last year. One is that Governor Doyle will not be in a position to help legislators from his party during the election, as he did with Representative Gary Sherman. Mr. Doyle will be too busy with his own campaign to deliver that kind of support.
We also now have the active support of rank-and-file law enforcement groups, and diminished criticism of the bill by county sheriffs.
But, perhaps the best reason to believe our chances have been improved is the recent election of Democratic representatives who are more open to the idea of trained, licensed law-abiding citizens being able to have a means for self defense.
Representative Tom Nelson of Kaukauna has proven himself to be an independent and thoughtful advocate for his constituents. He has also been willing to look beyond partisan politics and view the Personal Protection Act for what it is: a bill that addresses the right to self defense, an issue that transcends political parties. Because he is keeping an open mind on the issue, it's important that he hears from his constituents. So, please let him know that you would appreciate his support on this very important bill.
Similarly, Representative Louis J. Molepske, Jr of Stevens Point has shown himself willing to look at the Personal Protection Act in a fair and objective manner. As a former special prosecutor for the Portage County district attorney's office, he has dealt firsthand with violent criminals. It's vitally important that Representative Molepske hear from those in his
district who would like to have the means to defend themselves from the very types of criminals that he has put behind bars.
Representative Mike Sheridan of Janesville is another Democratic legislator who is very ably working for his constituents on important issues such as jobs and taxes. Mr. Sheridan won election to the seat after former Democratic Representative Wayne Wood retired last year. Wayne Wood always backed gun owners, 100%. Representative Sheridan, just like the two aforementioned representatives, is giving careful consideration to the Personal Protection Act, and to the fact that gun owners make up a large part of his constituency. Your calls and emails to Representative Sheridan can assure him that he will enjoy the same strong support from Janesville gun owners that Wayne Wood did for many years in the Assembly.
No matter who your Assembly representative is, though, it is critical that you both email them and call them. Your calls and emails to state senators gave us the victory we had last evening.
This is no time to be complacent, or to believe that we cannot win. We can.
So, please, beginning on Friday, email your state representative, and then follow up that email with a phone call.
Once again, we don't want to irritate our friends on both sides of the aisle by overwhelming them with calls and emails all at once. So, we ask that those of you whose last names begin with the letters A through M send your emails and then make your follow-up calls on Friday. Those of you whose last names begin with the letters N through Z should make your phone calls and send your emails on Monday.
You can find your representative's email address and phone number by going to http://165.189.139.210/waml/ and entering your address.
As always, we ask that you be polite and to the point in your contacts with your representatives.
And please forward this email to every gun owner you know, as well as to any person you know who values the God-given right to self defense.
Thank you,
The Wisconsin Concealed Carry Association
P.S. As soon as we know when the Assembly vote is likely to come up on Tuesday, we'll alert you to that as well, so that we can have as many supporters there as possible.
