State Supreme Court Rules on Who Can Obtain Permit to Carry a Concealed Weapon

Monday, May 23rd, 2022 -- 9:01 AM

(AP) A disorderly conduct conviction can’t disqualify someone from obtaining a permit to carry a concealed weapon in Wisconsin, the state Supreme Court ruled Friday in a unanimous decision that could dramatically broaden who can carry hidden firearms, knives and stun guns.

The court found that disorderly conduct isn't a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence under federal law and therefore doesn't disqualify a person from holding a concealed carry license.

Justice Jill Karofsky, a member of the court's liberal minority, concurred but in a separate opinion called on legislators to close a “dangerous loophole” that will allow domestic abusers to carry concealed weapons. Lawmakers introduced a bipartisan bill a year ago that would have reconciled the language but it never got a hearing.

“Though legally correct, this result is as nonsensical as it is dangerous,” Karofsky wrote. “When a domestic abuse perpetrator, who has engaged in threats to kill or any other type of domestic violence, has access to a gun, the lethality risk for his victim increases significantly.”

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