Reply #15: Proponent of gun bill likely to block it (WI) [View All]

[CO Liberal]

Proponent of gun bill likely to block it

Democratic leader who backed measure is expected to side with governor's veto

Madison - In what could be a dramatic Capitol irony, a sponsor of the bill that would legalize the carrying of concealed weapons may cast the vote that keeps it from becoming law.

If the vote on the emotional issue is held as scheduled on Tuesday, Democratic officials say state Rep. Gary Sherman (D-Port Wing) is committed to vote not to override Gov. Jim Doyle's veto of that bill. That vote would, in effect, go against a measure he has been pressing for since he first ran for the Assembly in 1998.

But Sherman sees Tuesday's vote differently, according to those that know him best.

Now, he's an assistant leader of Assembly Democrats - under siege from Republicans who control both houses of the Legislature. Despite his philosophical support for the bill, his friends say, Sherman is convinced that Doyle, the first Democratic governor in 16 years, must not have any vetoes overridden.

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http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/feb04/204410.asp