This fall, concealed carry legislation will allow Wisconsinites to carry handguns after they have
received specified training, but some are questioning how properly the training will prepare those who decide to carry a concealed weapon. 

On Nov. 1, residents of Wisconsin over the age of 21 can apply for
a concealed carry permit and will be required to obtain proper firearms training,
according to a statement from the Wisconsin Department of Justice. 

Currently, one of the ways applicants can receive proper
training is through the completion of a hunter education course held by the Wisconsin Department
of Natural Resources, the statement said.

Jon King, a spokesperson for the DNR, said the department is publicly discouraging Wisconsinites from using their hunting licenses as the sole requirement for owning a firearm or from taking a hunting education course for the purposes of owning a handgun.

“Hunter education provides basic firearm safety,” King said. “We don’t cover the basics of concealed carry. We don’t cover where you can carry a firearm and where you can’t carry it. That’s where [the program] falls short.”

King said he does not
expect the potential increase in the number of applicants for hunter education to affect how instructors of hunter education construct their
courses. 

DOJ has not required DNR hunter education courses to include handgun or
self-defense training.

There has been a marked increase in demand for hunting education
at DNR departments throughout the state of Wisconsin, King said. However, he said it is impossible to tell at this time if most or any of the incoming hunter education students have
enrolled with the hopes of obtaining a concealed permit.

“It’s a tough one to say that 500 people or a 1,000 people or
10,000 people are running to the hunter education trying to get that concealed carry permit,” King said.

At the end of the year, King said DNR officials would be
able to cross reference the number of people who took a hunter education course
in the state with the number of residents who applied for a hunting
license. He said this will give the DNR
a better idea of the amount of former students who took hunter education
courses in hopes of later receiving a concealed carry permit. 

The DOJ is still in the process of creating rules for the legislation,
the statement said, and further requirements to receive a firearm may be added before
the bill’s Nov. 1 implementation.

So far, King said he does not believe hunter education students who are solely intent on obtaining a handgun are taking spots away from residents who
would like to take the course for its original purpose, and he hopes any emerging trend does not devolve into this practice.

He said most applicants for concealed carry would
probably avoid hunter education courses if they were provided more specific
handgun training.

“I think most people who want to apply for a concealed carry
permit really would prefer a class that helps them understand what their legal responsibilities
are,” King said.