8/3/2019 Representative Tyler August's E-Update

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2nd Amendment, Hunting Initiatives Advance

The past week has been a good week for those of us who feel strongly about our 2nd Amendment rights. The State Assembly passed the Castle Doctrine bill, as well asgislation aimed at preserving and strengthening our hunting heritage.

The Castle Doctrine, also known as the Right to Self-Defense Bill, passed the State Assembly on November 1st on a bipartisan 71-24 vote. The bill confirms the rights of law abiding citizens to protect themselves and their families from a criminal looking to do them harm.

Specifically, the Castle Doctrine increases protections for homeowners who use force against an intruder who unlawfully and forcibly enter a persons home, vehicle,or workplace. Under current law, if a resident uses deadly or severe force against an intruder, the burden of proof falls to the law abiding resident to provethe force was needed to prevent death or harm to himself or others. The Castle Doctrine instead creates an automatic presumption of immunity for the resident ifthe intruder unlawfully or forcibly entered the dwelling or vehicle. The bill f

urther clarifies that a resident does not have to try to retreat or flee beforeusing force.

I voted for this bill because I believe that it is a fundamental right of law abiding citizens to defend themselves against criminals in their homes and they should have the presumption of innocence. After passing the Assembly, the bill wasapproved by the State Senate. If signed by Governor Walker, Wisconsin would join 29 other states that have Castle Doctrine laws on the books.

On the same day of our passage of the Castle Doctrine, Wisconsin became the 49thstate to allow the concealed carry of weapons. This week the Department of Justice started accepting applications for permits. For FAQ's and the application document visit the DOJ website at www.doj.state.wi.us/.

Finally, I voted in favor of Assembly Bill 311, the Sporting Heritage and Recruitment Bill. Authored by Representative Steineke (R-Kaukauna), this bill would help preserve and promote Wisconsins hunting traditions. Specifically the bill wouldestablish an ongoing Sporting Recruitment and Retention Task Force, offer reduced fee hunting and trapping licenses to first-time applicants, allow high schoolcredit of 0.5 for the successful completion of any DNR Hunter Safety Education programs, reward sportsmen and women who bring new people into the sport with a credit toward future license purchases, and ensure Stewardship land access for outdoor pursuits.

With hunting declining among the younger and older generations, this bill will g

o a long way toward boosting participation. The bill passed on an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 84-12, and now heads to the State Senate for consideration.

Reforms and Results

Governor Walker recently launched a website detailing the results of the reformsthat the Legislature has passed this session. Currently, it has been calculated taxpayers have saved over $469 million and counting. You can view the websiteby following this link: http://www.reforms.wi.gov/