Conservatively Speaking
State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents parts of four counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Walworth. Her Senate District 28 includes New Berlin, Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners, Muskego, Waterford, Big Bend, the town of Vernon and parts of Greenfield, East Troy, and Mukwonago. Senator Lazich has been in the Legislature for more than a decade. She considers herself a tireless crusader for lower taxes, reduced spending and smaller government.
Important DNR hearings coming up
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) received two inquiries from hunters wanting to know whether railguns were permitted in Wisconsin. A railgun is defined as a weapon consisting mainly of conducting metal rails that uses electromagnetic force to accelerate a projectile to a much greater speed than that achieved by conventional chemical propellant weapons. Last month, the U.S. Navy established a brand new world record for the most powerful electromagnetic railgun during a test shot in Virginia.
The two calls the DNR got about railguns were enough to put a question before next month’s DNR conservation hearings to be conducted in all 72 counties that would clarify the definition of legal firearm types for hunting.
DNR Chief Warden Randy Stark told the Associated Press the railgun can send projectiles seven times the speed of sound, prompting questions about the safety and fairness of using railguns.
The first of dozens of questions to be reviewed at the DNR hearings on April 13, 2009, relates to keeping young hunters safe from sexual predators. It reads:
“Allow the department to conduct criminal history background checks on individuals that want to serve as department sponsored volunteer angler education instructor or a mentor as part of a department sponsored or approved learn-to-hunt program. These instructors often and primarily serve as instructors for youth. This proposal would also remove the condition that a mentor for fishing programs may not serve as a mentor for more than 3 anglers and clarify that the applicant, instructors and mentors need to possess a valid fishing license. This will also reduce the 30 day advanced notice for applications for fishing programs to 15 days.”
Another issue to be discussed will be the proposed creation of a Youth Conservation Congress to recruit younger hunters and fishers.
All of the DNR hearings scheduled on April 13, 2009 begin at 7:00 p.m. Here are hearing locations in Senate District 28 that I represent:
Milwaukee County: Nathan Hale High School, Auditorium, 11601 West Lincoln Avenue, West Allis
Racine County: Union Grove High School, Auditorium (Use Hwy. 45 School Entrance), 3433 S. Colony Ave., Union Grove
Walworth County: Delavan/Darien High School, Auditorium, 150 Cummings, Delavan
Waukesha County: Waukesha Co. Tech. College (WCTC), Anderson Education Center, 800 Main St., Pewaukee
Here is the notice about the hearings from the DNR and an article from the Associated Press.
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.