Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, said Gannon’s proposal would expose businesses to significant potential litigation, “which clearly would hurt our business climate.”

“This is a radical departure from the idea of allowing businesses to make their own decisions about what is best for their operations,” Barca said.

Gannon said he had some concerns about coercing a private business to take certain actions, but likened his approach to the smoking ban, which Democrats justified as protecting the public from secondhand smoke. He said it would apply to all businesses, including bars, malls, churches, day care centers and nursing homes.

“If you’re going to allow somebody to come in and put a bullet in my brain, you should have some liability,” Gannon said.

Gannon said if businesses still want to post gun-free zone signs then they should consider adding metal detectors and armed security guards.

Ladd Everitt, communications director for the national Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, called the proposal “utterly idiotic” and one that could hurt tourism in the state.