Wisconsin agrees to drop ban on carrying firearms while fishing following challenge

By The Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — People fishing in Wisconsin will soon be able to carry firearms after a rule banning them was rescinded by the state following a lawsuit brought by gun rights advocates.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources agreed in an order released Wednesday to rescind the rule barring anglers from carrying firearms. The lawsuit challenging the ban as a violation of the constitutional right to bear arms was brought by the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty.

The DNR agreed to rescind the rule, enacted in 1999, as soon as possible and both sides submitted a joint motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

“This action by the DNR properly restores the liberties provided by our Constitution to our client and thousands of Wisconsin (anglers),” said Skylar Croy, the attorney for WILL who brought the case in a statement.

WILL had argued that the rule was overly broad and limited all firearms along waterways in the state, not just those that could be used to harvest a fish.

FILE - Leroy Schmidt, left, and Judy Berres, both of Cecil, Wis. enjoy a canoe fishing trip on Shawano Lake in Cecil as the sun sets May 13, 2012. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources agreed in an order released Wednesday, July 24, 2024, to rescind a rule barring anglers from carrying firearms. (AP Photo/Shawano Leader, Cory Dellenbach, File)

Photo: ASSOCIATED PRESS/Cory Dellenbach

The gun ban has not been enforced since 2011 when Wisconsin legalized the carrying of concealed weapons, said DNR spokesperson Molly Meister.

“The department will continue to enforce the laws that prohibit unauthorized methods of fishing, including the use of a firearm, gun or similar device to harvest a fish,” she said.