CCRKBA TELLS WISCONSIN: ‘LEGISLATORS HAVE MORE BACKBONE IN KANSAS’

BELLEVUE, WA – In the wake of Thursday’s landmark override by the Kansas Legislature of Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ veto of that state’s concealed carry legislation, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) is telling lawmakers in Wisconsin that they need more backbone.

“Earlier this year,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan M. Gottlieb, “Wisconsin legislators had the opportunity to uphold the state’s constitutional right to bear arms, but they chickened out and rolled over for anti-gun Gov. Jim Doyle. Kansas lawmakers, working in a bipartisan atmosphere to do what’s right for voters instead of the governor, showed the nation that political courage still exists in the Midwest.

“It is obvious that neither Doyle nor Sebelius, both Democrats, don’t really care about the civil rights or personal safety of their constituents,” Gottlieb observed, “but in Kansas at least, state legislators do, and once they cast a vote, they stick with it.

“But that’s not the case in Wisconsin,” he continued, “where earlier this year, Democrats Terry Van Akkeren of Sheboygan and John Steinbrink of Pleasant Prairie both flip-flopped, voting initially for passage of a concealed carry law, then voting to uphold Doyle’s veto. One supposes that when they run for re-election, they will pull a ‘John Kerry’ on voters, saying that they ‘actually voted for that bill before voting against it.’

“The difference between Wisconsin and Kansas Democrats appears to be that in the Badger State, party loyalty and upholding the party’s anti-gun philosophy is more important than serving the voters,” Gottlieb stated. “In Kansas, they obviously still understand that once you give your word, you keep it. Only four Wisconsin Democrats, Reps. Barbara Gronemus, Mary Hubler, Marlin Schneider and Amy Sue Vruwink, seem to get it because they voted to override Doyle.

“Politicians like Doyle and Sebelius always try to hide behind claims that they support the Second Amendment,” Gottlieb said. “Well, it’s all hot air. Telling people you support gun rights, then vetoing their right of self-defense is the zenith of arrogance and hypocrisy. Legislators should also remember that voting for gun rights, then voting against them isn’t courageous, it’s cowardly.”