Records Show Brad Schimel Opened Office Doors to NRA Second Full Day on Job

MADISON, Wis. — Records obtained by One Wisconsin Now show that on his second full day in office, Attorney General Brad Schimel met privately in his office with the lead lobbyist for the National Rifle Association. Schimel, who was endorsed by the NRA in his 2014 election, today supported a plan backed by the NRA to allow Wisconsin communities to be flooded with untrained, unlicensed carriers of concealed firearms.

“The records show on his second full day on the job, Brad Schimel opened his office doors to privately consult with the NRA,” said Scot Ross, One Wisconsin Now Executive Director. “It shows Brad Schimel’s priorities are for protecting campaign special interests, not the citizens of Wisconsin.”

According to records obtained by One Wisconsin Now after a lengthy fight with Schimel’s Wisconsin Department of Justice, on his second full day on the job, Wednesday, January 7, 2015, Schimel met privately in his state capitol office with John Commerford, the registered lobbyist for the National Rifle Association.

As state Senators today held a hearing to debate the plan in Senate Bill 169, Schimel released a statement fully endorsing the bill. Schimel said, “Senate Bill 169 represents a reasonable policy decision by the Legislature and it is not inconsistent with case law which has strengthened this right… My commitment to the Second Amendment cannot be overstated.”

“Our top cop’s top commitment should be public safety. But when Brad Schimel takes the side of campaign supporters on a bill that would allow guns on school grounds, it is clear he can’t be trusted to put us first,” concluded Ross.