CCRKBA BLASTS WI ASSEMBLY MEMBERS FOR ‘COWARDICE BELOW AND BENEATH’ THEIR DUTY

BELLEVUE, WA—Members of the Wisconsin Assembly who voted to sustain the veto of sensible concealed carry legislation by anti-gun Gov. Jim Doyle have displayed “cowardice below and beneath their duty to public safety,” the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms said today.

“Tuesday’s vote that sustained Jim Doyle’s deplorable veto of a rational concealed carry bill was a slap in the face and a sucker punch to the safety of every Wisconsin resident,” said CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron. “Clearly, those 34 Assembly members who voted to sustain the governor did so out of political expediency rather than the public good.”

This much was confirmed by the remarks of Rep. Gary Sherman (D-Port Wing), who switched his vote “to protect his governor and what limited power the minority Assembly Democrats have,” according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

“Sherman’s vote switch, placing the interests of Jim Doyle and his anti-gun Democrat cronies above public safety and the citizens’ constitutional rights was despicable, and should be remembered when he runs for re-election,” Waldron stated. “They hysteria drummed up by anti-gun extremists prior to the vote was an insult to every responsible, law-abiding Wisconsin gun owner. Henceforth, the blood of every crime victim in the Badger State who might have been able to defend themselves or prevent a crime had they been legally armed will be on the hands of Jim Doyle and those members of the Assembly who upheld his veto, and especially Gary Sherman.”

CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb said the 65-34 vote, which fell short of the necessary two-thirds to override, was disappointing for several reasons.

“It shows how incredibly short-sighted some members of the Assembly can be,” Gottlieb observed. “The vote also proved how susceptible some lawmakers are to the outrageous rhetoric of the ludicrous left. In particular, Sherman’s switch shows how vulnerable the rights of citizens are to political partisanship. Opponents of responsible personal protection legislation are supporters of criminal recidivism, and it is shameful that such people now serve in public office in Madison.

“Jim Doyle’s ill-considered veto, and the reluctance of 34 lawmakers to override that veto,” Gottlieb stated, “do nothing more than send a clear message to Wisconsin’s criminal element that they now have a free ride in a target-rich environment. This vote has condemned a lot of good citizens to a lot of very bad experiences.”