MADISON, Wis. -- A Milwaukee lawmaker is proposing to make gas stations off limits to Wisconsin residents carrying concealed weapons, even if they have a permit. The bill's sponsor, State Representative Josh Zepnick (D), told the Journal Sentinel that many station owners, employees and customers are among his constituents and have been victims of violent crime. He said that he has attended the funerals of two gas station workers killed while on the job.
"This is a serious pattern of crime that has escalated, presumably due to tough economic times and the 'ease' of getting in/out of a gas station for criminal activity," Zepnick told the newspaper.
Assembly Bill 406 reads, "Under current law, a person who causes damage to another's property is generally guilty of a misdemeanor. Under this bill, if the property is a gas station, the person is guilty of a felony and is subject to a fine of up to $10,000, imprisonment of up to three years and six months, or both. Also, under current law, a person who commits theft is guilty of a crime and the penalty varies by the value of the property taken, the victim of the theft, or the circumstances. Under this bill, if the theft is from a gas station, the person is guilty of a felony and is subject to a fine of up to $10,000, imprisonment of up to six years, or both."
Click here to read the full text of the bill.
Zepnick said he believes that the chances of passing the bill in the Republican-controlled state legislature are slim.
Officials with the Wisconsin Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association did not respond to request for comment by the paper. Zepnick said the group had some input from the group, but it did not initiate the bill.
Nik Clark, chairman of Wisconsin Carry Inc., predicts the bill has absolutely no chance of passage in Wisconsin, and that the trend nationally is to expand where those with permits can legally carry guns, said the report.
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