Despite the recent passage of a state-wide concealed carry law, the city attorney’s office announced this week it will continue to allow Madison Metro to implement its long-standing policy of prohibiting weapons on buses. 

While Gov. Scott Walker officially signed concealed carry into law earlier this summer and it will go into effect Nov. 1, City Attorney Michael May said the law will have no effect on Madison Metro’s prior policies.

“The question for us was whether this change in the law required them to change [their policy],” he said. “Our analysis was that it did not.”

Rick Rusch, Madison Metro’s spokesperson, said he did not anticipate any issues with keeping up the company’s old policy.

“When concealed carry was introduced, some thought that we might have to change this policy,” he said. “As our city attorneys have researched, [it] won’t apply to transit vehicles.”

He said if any issues were to arise, Metro would work with authorities to resolve them. He said customer safety was the company’s “utmost concern.”

May further explained the rationale behind his conclusions, saying the decision was ultimately left to the company itself.

“Our conclusion was that the law did not require the owner of a vehicle … to allow somebody into their vehicle carrying a weapon,” he said.

He said Eau Claire’s city attorney had conducted similar research and found the same conclusions. 

Madison Metro and the city attorney’s office received support in their analysis from the Wisconsin Department of Justice, May said.

Because Madison Metro’s policy was been put into place long ago, May said the company itself had no plans of altering it.

“They’ve always had an internal policy that weapons are not allowed on city buses,” he said. “They are continuing their existing policy.”

May was uncertain about how some aspects of concealed carry would fare once it went into effect. He said there is a possibility that some decisions regarding it may be challenged.

“I think that as the law goes into effect you’re probably going to see quite a bit of litigation over what it means and how to implement it,” he said. “I don’t think it was particularly well drafted.”

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, had little concern about this decision in particular being challenged.

He said he and other alders were unanimous about these aspects of concealed carry.

“I think it’s fair to say that the city government is doing everything we can do mitigate the impact of the new law by adopting various ordinances restricting concealed carry to the greatest possible extent that we can,” he said.

Data from the engineering department estimated that new signage prohibiting weapons and firearms in city buildings would cost around $5,000, May said.

Rusch noted signs will also be required at transfer points and in bus shelters. He said this was not an unanticipated expense.

“It’s something that is a routine purchase for us,” he said. “It’ll just be a standard charge.”

He said Metro has specific rules about its policy outlined in the ride guide and on its website.