WI: Governor Walker Signs Constitutional Carry for Knives

Ammoland ^ | 6 February, 2016 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

Knife Rights and Wisconsin Force worked together to pass a significant reform of antiquated knife laws in Wisconsin.  Wisconsin knife laws date back to the muckraker days, when the media was able to pass nonsensical laws based on "trendy", "progressive", emotional notions rather than on common sense, or any consideration for the the Constitution.  Wisconsin’s silly and dangerous switchblade ban dates to 1956.  It has been used to fine, convict and incarcerate hundreds, if not thousands of people who were only exercising their Second Amendment rights.

In 1998, Wisconsin finally finished the arduous process to pass a right to keep and bear arms amendment to the Wisconsin Constitution.  It ended any argument about weather the Second Amendment applied to Wisconsin. From Article I Section 25:

 The people have the right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation or any other lawful purpose.

It is hard to see how a ban on the carry of knives, which are clearly "arms" could withstand any serious consideration in a Wisconsin Court.  An appeals court in Wisconsin recently confirmed that knives are arms protected under the Constitution.

Votes for the bill were uncontroversial.  It passed with unanimous voice vote in the Senate, after passing the Assembly in October of 2015 with one dissenting vote.

As more people are bearing arms, violent crime has been going down.  Violent crime has dropped by half since 1993; the number of people with firearms permits has increased by more than 1,000 percent in that period.  Wisconsin was the next to last state to enact a law reforming their concealed carry law, in 2010.

People who may legally posses firearms will have the right to carry knives concealed.  Otherwise there will be almost no restrictions on the carry

[RicocheT]

This is a positive step for WI constitutional conservatives. We also want the school ground felony dropped for legal CCW carriers as one should not get a felony arrest for driving in the kid drop off lane while carrying or having a gun in the car. If the school puts a “no weapons” sign on the door, we will keep out or ask the school board to reconsider that.

[RicocheT]

This is a positive step for WI constitutional conservatives. We also want the school ground felony dropped for legal CCW carriers as one should not get a felony arrest for driving in the kid drop off lane while carrying or having a gun in the car. If the school puts a “no weapons” sign on the door, we will keep out or ask the school board to reconsider that.