In a rare act of political common sense the lawmakers in Wisconsin have tossed out the mandatory four hours of training to obtain a carry permit:
Applicants to carry concealed weapons in Wisconsin will no longer have to complete four hours of training, after a Republican-controlled legislative committee voted Monday to do away with the requirement that had been assailed by the National Rifle Association as being too strict.
The rule mandating the successful completion of at least four hours of training was put in place by Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen’s Department of Justice in advance of the law taking effect last week.
[…]
“There’s no reason why we have to micromanage how people obtain their concealed carry permit,” said Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend. Other states with no minimum training requirements haven’t had any problems and “there’s going to be no problem in the state of Wisconsin either,” Grothman said.
Senator Grothman states is beautifully, states lacking training requirements haven’t had any issues with the issuance of carry permits. The idea that training be required to exercise a Constitutionally guaranteed right is absurd. Has anybody ever advocated a requirement of training be completed before exercising the right of free speech? I’ve never heard anybody claim those wishing to protect themselves against self-persecution only be allowed to remain silent if they’ve passed a training program.
Why should those eligible to own firearms be restricted from carrying them?