LANSING – State Representative Scott Dianda (D-Calumet) today introduced legislation to repeal the requirement that gun owners always have their weapons secured inside a case when they are transporting them in a car, or carry the weapons in the trunk of their car.
“This requirement puts an unnecessary burden on gun owners, and particularly hunters who transport rifles and crossbows,” said Dianda. “My bills would only apply to transporting weapons and wouldn’t change any other laws covering weapons in vehicles.”
Hunters sometimes change locations frequently during the day. If Dianda’s bills, House Bills 4564 and 4565, are signed into law, hunters would no longer need to encase their guns each time they move. Wisconsin enacted similar legislation in 2011 with the support of its DNR and hunting groups. Since that time, the state reports that it has not seen an increase in hunting incidents. It would remain illegal to shoot a weapon from a vehicle or even load a weapon in a vehicle.
“My bills are just common-sense legislation that gets rid of an unnecessary regulation that can interfere with a hunter enjoying the hunt,” said Dianda. “We will still ensure the owner’s and the public’s safety, because if a weapon isn’t in a case, it has to be an unloaded weapon. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this legislation.”