Tuesday, March 07, 2017

Wisconsin Supreme Court: Weapons allowed on Madison buses

News 13 reports:
Wisconsin's capital city must allow passengers to carry hidden weapons on buses, the state Supreme Court said Tuesday in siding with a gun rights group that local governments cannot trump the state's concealed-carry law.

The ruling from the high court's conservative majority could provide fodder for gun advocates to challenge local governments' weapon policies they feel are tougher than the state concealed-carry law. City of Madison attorney John Strange said the ruling puts passengers in danger.

"From a public safety perspective, the decision creates greater risk to passengers by allowing guns on moving and crowded buses," he said.

Wisconsin Carry, a gun rights group, challenged Madison's Metro Transit in 2014 after it prohibited a passenger with a concealed-carry license from bringing a gun on a bus. The group argued Metro Transit's policy prohibiting weapons of any kind on buses cannot supersede the state's concealed-carry law. Metro Transit adopted its rule in 2005.
A civil rights update.