[AndrewWalkowiak]

I had no idea we were in such good shape! Thanks for the info Monkeyleg, you made my day!

Andrew, we're not dead in the water by any means. The CCW bill is going to be introduced as one of the first out of the chute when the senate convenes in January. We have 18 Republicans in the senate, all of whom will vote for the bill. In the assembly, the Republicans increased their majority, and last year the bill passed that house 58-40.

We need four Democrats to get a veto-proof majority, and I'm told that we have more than four. Amongst those Dem's, there are some real pro-gun senators. Also, there will be more Dem's up for re-election in 2004, so the pressure from the NRA and statewide groups will be enormous. The proponents of the bill seem to feel they can get 22 votes.

Doyle can veto the bill, he can sign it, or he can do nothing with it, in which case it automatically becomes law after 30 days. The feeling amongst the proponents of the bill is that Doyle will not want to be embarrassed by having a veto overridden so early in his tenure, and he may just tell the press it's out of his hands.

I was surprised by the level of confidence these "insiders" are showing. Still, we need everyone who supports concealed carry to write their senators, especially Democrat senators.

And, if the state supreme court rules at all in our favor, that will be icing on the cake.