By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Anglers in Wisconsin will no longer be prohibited from carrying firearms while fishing under a joint motion filed by the state Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL), according to Spectrum News.
The lawsuit was filed by the conservative group because the rule, enacted 25 years ago, ran afoul of the constitutional right to bear arms. Article 1, Section 25 of the Wisconsin State Constitution reads, “The people have the right to keep and bear arms for security, defense, hunting, recreation or any other lawful purpose.”
In 2011, the story noted, Wisconsin legalized the carrying of concealed firearms, and that’s when the restriction stopped being enforced. Wisconsin was one of the last states in the country to adopt a concealed carry law.
The agreement leaves in place a prohibition on shooting fish.
In a statement released to the media, WILL attorney Skylar Croy explained, “This action by the DNR properly restores the liberties provided by our Constitution to our client and thousands of Wisconsin [anglers].”
In their lawsuit, WILL contended the restrictive regulation was overly broad because it placed restrictions on all firearms “along waterways in the state,” the story said.
Wisconsin DNR will work quickly to rescind the rule, which dates back to 1999.
Sportfishing is a major activity in Wisconsin. According to data from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, funds from the Dingell-Johnson Sportfish Restoration program brought $11,822,290 to the state DNR for sportfish restoration in Fiscal Year 2024. These funds are used along with revenues from state fishing license fees to finance the state’s fisheries programs.
According to the DNR website, there are at least 15 popular fish species up for grabs in the state including largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish, musky, salmon and trout, northern pike, bluegill, crappie and perch, walleye and lake sturgeon. Overall, Wisconsin boasts more than 160 fish species.
