A firearm ban, which prevented Wisconsin residents from carrying firearms while fishing, was rescinded by the state on Wednesday. The change will now allow gun owners to exercise their Second Amendment rights while fishing.
According to a press release by the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, the repeal of the firearm ban comes after the organization filed a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty argued that the firearm ban preventing residents from carrying a gun while fishing violated the Second Amendment.
The agreement to rescind the legislation, which was announced on Wednesday, comes 25 years after the law was implemented in 1999, according to WKOW. The legislation stated, “[N]o person may . . . [p]ossess or control any firearm, gun or similar device at any time while on the waters, banks or shores that might be used for the purpose of fishing.”
In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty said the organization was able to pressure the state to repeal the “unconstitutional firearm restriction” that impacted “thousands of fishermen in Wisconsin.”
“This action by the DNR properly restores the liberties provided by our Constitution to our client and thousands of Wisconsin fishermen,” Skylar Croy, who represented the plaintiffs in the case, said. “Mr. Kobs and the many law-abiding gun owners can once again exercise their constitutional right without fearing unlawful enforcement.”
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The Houston Chronicle reported that DNR spokesperson Molly Meister said the department had not actively enforced the law preventing residents from carrying firearms while fishing since the state legalized concealed carry for firearms in 2011.
Following Wednesday’s announcement, Meister told The Houston Chronicle, “The department will continue to enforce the laws that prohibit unauthorized methods of fishing, including the use of a firearm, gun or similar device to harvest a fish.”
Patrick Hasburgh, owner of D&S Bait, Tackle & Fly Shop in Madison, Wisconsin, told WKOW that while he is a gun owner and hunter, he has never felt like he needed to have a gun while fishing. The tackle shop owner suggested that rescinding the Wisconsin ban was not a necessary move.
“I feel like this rule change is a little silly,” Hasburgh said. “I don’t think that this is going to change much as far as angling goes. If people wanted to carry before, I’m sure they already did.”
