Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen said this week that nearly 37,000 concealed-carry permit applications have been received since Nov. 1, when Wisconsin became the 49th state to allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed handguns for personal protection.
On Nov. 7, a legislative committee suspended an earlier training requirement that was part of an emergency rules package signed by Gov. Scott Walker in October. The Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules voted to remove the controversial requirement mandating at least four hours of training to qualify for the permit, effective immediately.
The committee also suspended the requirement that applicants have a signed statement from the instructor verifying the course had been successfully completed.
"There's no reason why we have to micromanage how people obtain their concealed-carry permit," said committee member Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend). "Other states with no minimum training requirements haven't had any problems and there's going to be no problem in the state of Wisconsin either."
The Wisconsin Attorney General reminded applicants this week that while a minimum number of training hours are no longer required for a CCW permit, proof of training is still needed, such as a valid state hunter-safety certificate or card.
In addition, Van Hollen issued a list of the most common reasons Wisconsin permit applications are being rejected by the DOJ:
-Using an out-of-state concealed-carry license as proof of training, but failing to enclose the required affirmation form.
-Failing to completely fill out the concealed-carry permit application, or entering incorrect information such as the birth year.
-Enclosing the required certificate for proof of training, but lacking an instructor name or organization on the certificate.
-Using an address on the application that fails to match Wisconsin Department of Transportation records.
