Wisconsin Concealed Carry Basics in Two Minutes!

 Wisconsin Concealed Carry Basics in Two Minutes



  1. A concealed carry license in Wisconsin allows you to carry in public

    1. A concealed handgun

    2. A concealed “billy club”

    3. A concealed electric weapon (stun guns and Tasers™)

  2. You can carry all these things concealed without a license on your own property or legally occupied land, or inside your place of business if you are at least 18 years old and not prohibited from possession

  3. All knives are legal in Wisconsin, including switchblades.  The need to have a license to carry a concealed knife in WI was removed years ago.

    1. If you are at least 18 and not ineligible to possess a firearm you may carry any kind of knife concealed without a license in Wisconsin.

    2. Local regulation of knives is gone.  Municipal knife ordinances about blade length and such things still appearing on the books are unenforceable.

  4. It’s perfectly legal to open carry (unconcealed) a firearm, knife and billy club without a license if you are at least 18 years old and not otherwise prohibited from their possession.

  5. Electric weapons are given special treatment.  It’s fine to have one without a license on your own property, legally occupied land or inside your place of business and to carry it concealed if you wish.  However a concealed carry license is required to carry one in public unless it is in a carrying case.  If you have no license and carry an electric weapon not inside a case while in public, it is a felony!

  6. The “disorderly conduct” statute in Wisconsin was rewritten to clarify that it is not disorderly conduct  to simply carry and handle a knife or firearms in public, even if they look scary to someone.  However if you threaten someone or do something unsafe with a weapon you could be charged with disorderly conduct or worse.  

  7. Concealed carry licenses are issued by the WI Department of Justice and cost $40.

  8. To get a WI concealed carry license you must:

    1. Be a Wisconsin resident

    2. At least 21 years of age

    3. Pass the background check

    4. Show evidence of training

  9. Non-residents may carry concealed if they have a license issued from one of the states whose license Wisconsin honors (it’s most of them.)

  10. Wisconsin residents must have the Wisconsin license even if they have licenses from other states.  Wisconsin honors out-of-state licenses only for non-residents.

  11. The license is valid for 5 years and currently costs $23 to renew.

  12. You can carry a concealed weapon anywhere in the state except for:

    1. Places automatically off-limits by state statute:  jails, prisons, certain secured mental facilities, courtrooms (with a few exceptions), police stations, sheriff’s offices, state patrol offices and DOJ special investigator offices; beyond the security checkpoint inside an airport.

    2. Firearms on school grounds are required to be unloaded and encased with few exceptions.

    3. Places that have elected to post “no weapon” or “no guns” signs such as private business, government buildings, college and university buildings, privately-owned land.

    4. A licensee can take a concealed handgun into an establishment that serves alcohol, but may not consume alcohol while inside.

  13. “Gun free school zone” laws exist on both the federal and state levels.

    1. The “school zone” is defined as the grounds of a school building (both private and public schools) for schools that have educational programs between grades 1 and 12.

    2. The zone not only includes the school grounds, but going out from the lot line in every direction for 1000 feet.

    3. Firearms within the zone are required to be unloaded and encased with two exceptions:

      1. On private property

      2. When possessed by someone with a concealed carry license.  Under federal law a licensee may carry a loaded firearm on the grounds of the school, but under Wisconsin’s law only the 1000 foot zone around the school grounds is ok for the license. The grounds themselves require that the firearm be unloaded and encased.

      3. (Bottom line, get yourself a concealed carry license and forget about school zones unless you plan to enter school grounds and are willing to unload and encase your firearm every time you do so.)  If you open carry a firearm near a school (which I don’t recommend unless you enjoy having conversations with the police) be prepared to show your concealed carry license.  The gun isn’t concealed, but you’re within a thousand feet of school grounds and need to have a license if you aren’t on private property.

  14. You can transport a firearm aboard a commercial airline flight provided it is:

    1. Inside your checked luggage; NOT inside carry-on luggage

    2. Has be declared at the ticket counter

    3. Is unloaded and encased in a locked hard-sided case.

    4. Ammo is properly packaged

  15. Pepper spray, also known as Oleoresin capsicum spray or OC spray,  (not Mace and not tear gas) is legal in Wisconsin.  You must be at least 18 years old to purchase it.

    1. Old DOJ regulations regarding the size of the can, whether it can be disguised to resemble a pen or lipstick, etc have been thrown out.  There aren’t many restrictions on pepper spray now.

    2. Minors are allowed to possess pepper spray in Wisconsin IF and ONLY IF it has been provided to them by a parent, guardian or legal custodian.

    3. Pepper spray containers have a date on them.  Pay attention to it.  The date has nothing to do with the potency of the “pepper” but the strength of the propellant that makes it spray out.  Over time the propellant micro-leaks out and if it’s too old you’ll have “Pepper ppttt” and not pepper spray.

    4. Substitutes for pepper spray, such as hair and bug sprays, are ineffective no matter what you’ve been told.  Just get something that was designed for the job:  Pepper Spray



This is a very basic guide to Wisconsin Concealed Carry.  There are more details for almost every point.  Self-defense law, training, firearms safety, types of firearms and ammo and ways of carrying a gun are also part of concealed carry and haven’t been included here.  If you have questions regarding those, take a class or contact me!

Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 17, 2022 at 7:59 PM

    Very helpful. What is the definition of legally occupied land? Thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousJuly 18, 2022 at 1:54 AM

      It's a good question because it is not defined in the statutes. The term appears in Chapter 941.23(2)(e). 941.23 is the statute that makes it a crime to carry a concealed weapon, and it contains a list of exceptions of when it is not a crime. 941.23(2)(e) is the exception that says "An individual who carries a concealed and dangerous weapon, as defined in s. 175.60 (1) (j), in his or her own dwelling or place of business or on land that he or she owns, leases, or legally occupies." There are many references to "occupied property" in law dictionaries, and one that commonly appears is "Occupied property means a residential property with a structure on which any person, including an owner, operator, or tenant, but not a trespasser, lives, sleeps, cooks or otherwise maintains actual possession." To me it implies that one can possess a concealed firearm not just inside the apartment one rents, but on the property that the apartment sits upon. Whether it applies to a campsite, I don't know! I am not a lawyer, but I know a few, maybe I can get better guidance and give an update.

      Delete

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