The state Department of Justice moved quickly on Tuesday to review the first wave of applications from those wishing to carry concealed weapons in Wisconsin.
As of about 4pm, the agency had issued about 120 licenses out of the roughly 150 applications received so far at the Department’s Capitol office. Of those applications received Monday, 90 licenses had already been printed and prepared for mailing.
While many chose to drop off their applications in person at the Department’s Capitol office, many others appear to be preparing to mail them in. DOJ says over 800,000 people viewed the application for concealed carry that was posted on the agency’s website for the first time Tuesday morning. That’s compared to the 81,000 hits the site receives on a typical day.
In a statement, Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says he is encouraged to see people exercising their Second Amendment rights. Van Hollen received the first permit issued in the state Tuesday.
The concealed carry law allows anyone over the age of 21, who has not been convicted of a felony, to apply for a permit. Applicants need to have completed a four hour training course, pay a $50 fee, and pass a criminal background check.
The Department of Justice has 45 days to process applications received during the first month the law is in effect, although Van Hollen says his agency will “process applications from qualified residents as quickly as we can.”
