The two laws eliminate a 48-hour waiting period for individuals purchasing a gun and allow retired or off-duty police officers to carry firearms into schools

Scott Walker signed two bills into law on Wednesday that make access to firearms easier in Wisconsin, just one week after a mass shooting at a church in Charleston, South Carolina, reopened the debate on gun violence in America.



Walker, a Republican governor who is expected to run for president in 2016, signed two pieces of legislation: one that eliminates a 48-hour waiting period for individuals looking to purchase a gun, and another that allows retired or off-duty police officers to carry concealed firearms into public schools.

The timing coincides with a renewed plea from Barack Obama for the nation to address its high rates of gun violence, after a white man shot and killed nine African-Americans at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston. There has also been little effort in Washington for a renewed push for gun control in the aftermath of the shooting. Walker’s office said the Wisconsin legislation had long been in the works.

Gun control push fails to materialize in Congress after Charleston shooting Read more

The two bills were approved by a Republican majority in the state senate in April and the Wisconsin state assembly earlier this month, despite objections from most Democrats, who argued that getting rid of the waiting period could lead to increased rates of suicide, crimes of passion or violence against women. The intention of the state-imposed 48-hour waiting period, they said, was to allow for a cooling off period and prevent people from impulsively purchasing a firearm.

“I don’t know how many more women have to die. I don’t know how many more kids have to be murdered for us to do something about this,” said Chris Taylor, a Democratic representative from Madison, during the assembly vote.

Walker said the 48-hour waiting period is no longer needed, since instant background checks are performed by firearms dealers on purchasers.

Governor Walker (@GovWalker) Due to Nat'l Instant Criminal Background Check System, waiting period is no longer needed. WI joins 40 states with no 48 hour wait. #Act22

Walker, who holds an A-plus rating from the National Rifle Association, showed no hesitation in signing the two bills and has often held up his support for gun rights while rallying support for his presidential campaign-in-waiting. He was also endorsed by the NRA’s political arm during his re-election battle last year.

Addressing the NRA’s annual meeting in April, Walker said he wore his rating from the nation’s most powerful gun rights’ group as a “badge of honor” and went on to criticize Obama for going after the second amendment.

“I see an occupant in the White House right now who seems to forget that when the president is sworn in he takes an oath of office to preserve, to protect and to defend the constitution of the United States,” Walker said. “Well, Mr President, the last time I checked, the second amendment was part of the constitution.”

Reacting to Walker’s decision to end the 48-hour wait-time for gun purchasers a Democratic aide pointed out that there was one issue where the governor was more supportive of a so-called ‘cooling off’ period: abortions.

As a member of the state Assembly, Walker voted for a bill known as the Woman’s Right to Know Act, which required physicians to provide women with full information prior to an abortion and established a 24-hour waiting period in the hope that some women might change their mind about undergoing the procedure. As governor, Walker also signed into law a controversial bill requiring women to undergo mandatory ultrasounds for women seeking an abortion.

“Governor Walker believes a woman must wait at least 24 hours before she can exercise her right to choose, but he doesn’t believe someone should have to wait 48 hours to buy a gun,” the Democratic aide said. “This backwards line of thinking is what we can expect from this Republican presidential field.”