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Bills from the 2011–12 session

Senate Bill 555

Law enforcement officers who are on duty, off-duty law enforcement officers, and former law enforcement officers and going armed with firearms

Topics: Firearms and dangerous weapons, Housing, Police, Real property, School: Building

Stopped before the full Senate voted

The recommended passing it, but the full Senate never voted on it. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Mar 6, 2012

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Senate vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The full Senate never voted on it.

  4. Assembly vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 23, 2012: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

Read the bill

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What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Under current law, a law enforcement officer or a former law enforcement officer may go armed with (carry) a concealed weapon if he or she has a license issued by the Department of Justice or if he or she carries a photographic identification issued by the law enforcement agency that employs or, in the case of a former law enforcement officer, employed, him or her and meets other qualifications such as meeting any standards established by the agency to carry a firearm, not being under the influence of an intoxicant, and not carrying a machine gun or a firearm silencer.

Federal law explicitly preempts any state law prohibiting a qualified law enforcement officer or a qualified former law enforcement officer from carrying a concealed firearm, but federal law allows a state to permit private persons to prohibit the possession of concealed firearms on their property and to prohibit firearms on any state or local government property, installation, building, base, or park. Current state law prohibits a licensee from carrying a firearm on school grounds and on certain posted private properties. This bill exempts from these prohibitions law enforcement officers who are acting in their official capacity (who are currently exempt only from the prohibition against carrying on school grounds); qualified law enforcement officers, without regard to whether they are on duty; and qualified former law enforcement officers.

Who's behind it

Van Wanggaard, a Republican, is its ⁠.

2 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 3 names

Author (1)

Signed on in support (2)

How lawmakers voted

There was one vote on this bill.

Senate Committee on Labor vote to recommend it

Passed, 5 to 0 · Mar 12, 2012

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report passage recommended by committee on Labor, Public Safety, and Urban Affairs, Ayes 5, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 23, 2012

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Mar 12, 2012

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 5 to 0.

  3. Mar 8, 2012

    The committee held a public hearing.

  4. Mar 6, 2012

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Labor, Public Safety, and Urban Affairs.

  5. Mar 6, 2012

    Introduced in the Senate.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Mar 6, 2012 · Senate

    Introduced by Senator Wanggaard;Cosponsored by Representatives Kleefisch and Bies

  2. Mar 6, 2012 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Labor, Public Safety, and Urban Affairs

  3. Mar 8, 2012 · Senate

    Public hearing held

  4. Mar 9, 2012 · Senate

    Executive action taken

  5. Mar 12, 2012 · Senate

    Report passage recommended by committee on Labor, Public Safety, and Urban Affairs, Ayes 5, Noes 0

  6. Mar 12, 2012 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  7. Mar 23, 2012 · Senate

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor

More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote

More in the glossary