Wisconsin Republicans float bill to designate a state rifle

MADISON, Wis. — Republican lawmakers started circulating a invoice Thursday that will designate a lever-action rifle produced in northwestern Wisconsin because the state’s official rifle.

The invoice from state Reps. Dave Armstrong, Treig Pronschinske and James Edming and Sen. Romaine Quinn would designate the Henry All-Climate .45-70 as Wisconsin’s official state rifle.

The invoice is symbolic solely. The state rifle designation wouldn’t drive anybody to buy or use the weapon. However it might give the rifle and its producer, Rice Lake-based Henry Repeating Arms, loads of publicity and assist the invoice’s authors rating factors with gun supporters.

Armstrong is from Rice Lake; Quinn is from Cameron, about seven miles south of Rice Lake. Edming’s district contains Ladysmith, residence to a Henry Repeating Arms manufacturing facility.

The corporate’s Large Boy All-Climate Rifle received the Wisconsin Producers and Commerce’s “Coolest Factor Made in Wisconsin” contest in 2019. Wisconsin Producers and Commerce is the state’s largest enterprise affiliation and a staunch Republican ally.

Pronschinske, who hails from Mondovi in west-central Wisconsin, mentioned the invoice is a option to acknowledge a Wisconsin firm and the state’s manufacturing sector in addition to honor the state’s looking traditions.

“The great half about this invoice is that it merely honors a longstanding custom that many Wisconsinites get pleasure from,” he mentioned. “One thing that pays homage to many generations of hunters is by no means political and shouldn’t be framed as such.”

Armstrong declined remark. Quinn and Edming didn’t instantly return messages.

A minimum of 9 different states, together with Alaska, Arizona and Texas, have designated official state firearms, in response to the Nationwide Rifle Affiliation. North Dakota lawmakers on Wednesday rejected a proposal to make the Winchester Mannequin 1876 rifle that state’s official firearm. One of many Legislature’s handful of American Indian members, Democrat Jayme Davis, complained that the rifle was used to wipe out buffalo within the 1800s, robbing indigenous folks of a key useful resource.

State Sen. Chris Larson, a Milwaukee Democrat, scoffed on the invoice. His metropolis has been grappling with a pointy uptick in homicides because the COVID-19 pandemic started and weapons have been the weapon of selection.

In response to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel database, about 200 folks have been killed within the metropolis in every of the final three years. Ninety p.c of the victims final 12 months and in 2021 had been shot; 79% of the victims in 2020 had been shot.

“Are you kidding me?” Larson mentioned of the invoice. “Why? Why? You realize, there are mounting issues in our communities that persons are dealing with. It appears foolish that we’re making an attempt to go down a path of making an attempt to designate issues which can be simply bumper-sticker alerts to a base.”

Heidi Johnson, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, mentioned that in mild of Wisconsin’s “devastating ranges” of gun violence, naming a state gun needs to be the least of lawmakers’ considerations.

Selecting the Henry All-Climate .45-70 because the official gun highlights the Legislature’s lack of curiosity in protecting folks secure on condition that the corporate recalled sure .45-70 lever actions earlier this month, Johnson added.

The corporate posted the recall on its web site on March 10 for Henry All-Climate .45-70s produced between late December and early January, saying the weapons can go off with out anybody pulling the set off because of firing pins that will not meet specs.

The corporate warned all customers of Henry lever motion .45-70s to cease utilizing them till they decided whether or not they had been manufactured through the recall window.

Nobody instantly responded to an e mail The Related Press left within the firm’s normal inbox after hours Thursday. A message left with the corporate’s answering service wasn’t instantly returned.

The GOP legislators are in search of co-sponsors to signal on by March 24. Aides to Meeting Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Chief Devin LeMahieu didn’t instantly reply to emails inquiring concerning the invoice’s prospects.

Britt Cudaback, a spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, additionally didn’t instantly reply to an e mail asking if the governor would help the measure, but it surely seems unlikely that Evers would signal the invoice into legislation if it will get to him.

The governor known as a particular legislative session in 2019 to cross payments creating common background checks on gun purchasers and to permit judges to disarm folks deemed to be a menace. Republicans gaveled in and gaveled out inside seconds with out taking any motion on the measures.

Final 12 months, Evers vetoed a set of GOP payments that will have expanded hid carry rights.