State Republicans Considering Proposals That Would Increase Access to Guns

Friday, January 9th, 2026 -- 10:01 AM

(Anya Van Wagtendonk, Wisconsin Public Radio) Republicans state lawmakers are considering proposals that would increase access to guns in Wisconsin, including one that would make it easier to carry concealed weapons and another that would further enshrine gun rights in the state constitution.

According to Anya Van Wagtendonk, at a public hearing of the Assembly Committee on State Affairs on Wednesday, lawmakers heard testimony about a bill that would remove the need for people to have a permit to carry concealed weapons.

At the hearing, firearm lobbyists argued that permits are a bureaucratic burden on what should be an expansive right. Anti-violence activists countered that the bill would do away with safety measures, like training requirements, that licenses require.

If the bill eventually passes the Legislature, it would still need to be approved by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who has vetoed similar bills in the past. Currently, 29 other states do not require a license to concealed carry, according to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association, which advocates for such laws.

Elsewhere at the Capitol on Wednesday, the Assembly Judiciary Committee debated a change to the Wisconsin Constitution that would expand how the state defines the purpose of bearing arms.

Currently, the state constitution says people “have the right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation or any other lawful purpose.”  It states that that right is “fundamental, but it is not absolute.”

The proposed change would redefine that right as “inalienable” and that “any restriction on that right shall be subject to strict scrutiny.” That refers to a high legal standard in which challenges must be motivated by achieving a compelling state interest.

That proposal would have to pass out of the state Legislature this session and next before it would go before voters. It is not subject to a governor’s veto.

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