Wisconsin legislator pushing for concealed carry in schools

There is a plan at the Wisconsin Capitol that would allow teachers and school workers to carry a gun inside a school.

State Rep. Scott Allen, R-Waukesha, is circulating the legislation for co-sponsors this week.

Allen said the idea is to allow local school boards to set their own rules about guns in school.

“The bill avoids a state-wide solution, and instead gives each school district the ability to make a choice that is currently prohibited by state law. The bill also would eliminate the concealed carry license fee for teachers,” Allen said in a statement.

Allen added that the idea came from Germantown’s school board which asked him to change Wisconsin’s concealed carry laws.

“This bill came about at the request of the Germantown School Board who wrote that the ‘gun free school zone’ signs do nothing but notify a criminal that there will be few, if any, people in the building that can defend themselves,” Allen explained. “Schools provide soft targets for those looking to do harm, and this bill gives school boards the option to change that.”

Current Wisconsin law prohibits anyone but a police officer from carrying a gun inside a school.

Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol, however, have looked to change that law since the shooting at that middle school Uvalde, Texas.

Gov. Evers on Monday made it clear that even if Allen’s plan makes it through the legislature, it will never become law.

"Wisconsinites have been desperately demanding commonsense proposals that will reduce gun violence and keep our kids, our schools, and our communities safe. This bill isn’t among them. This bill shouldn’t make it to my desk — but if it does, I'll veto it. Plain and simple," the governor said on Twitter. “I already vetoed Republicans’ bill to allow loaded guns on school grounds because increasing firearms on school grounds won’t make our schools or our kids safer. So, let me be clear: I’ll veto any bill that weakens Wisconsin’s gun-free school zone law. Period.”