Open Carry in Wisconsin

Allowed without a license. The concealed-carry licensing law states that, unless expressly provided, it does not limit an individual's right to carry a firearm that is not concealed. Persons under 18 may not possess or go armed with a firearm (Class A misdemeanor), except during adult-supervised target practice or instruction, in the line of military duty, or with a rifle or shotgun when complying with hunting rules and not violating the short-barreled rifle/shotgun law. Open carry is still barred in gun-free school zones, at taverns (handguns) and other places listed under prohibited_places.

A handgun may be possessed or transported in a vehicle loaded or unloaded, but a person without a concealed carry license who keeps a handgun hidden within reach commits the crime of carrying a concealed weapon; the Wisconsin Supreme Court has said an unlicensed person can comply by placing the loaded handgun out of reach (State v. Grandberry, 2018). Long guns (rifles and shotguns) must be unloaded in or on a vehicle, except when the vehicle is stationary; no one may load a non-handgun firearm in a vehicle. Violations of the vehicle rule carry a forfeiture of up to $100. Licensees may keep weapons in their own vehicles, and employers may not forbid licensees from storing a weapon in their own vehicle.

Licensees may not carry in police stations, sheriff's offices, state patrol stations and DOJ special-agent offices; prisons, jails and secured correctional facilities; secured mental health units; county, state or federal courthouses (unless a judge permits); municipal courtrooms in session; and beyond airport security checkpoints. Anyone (licensee or not) commits a Class I felony by possessing a firearm on school grounds; within 1,000 feet of a school only licensees, and unloaded encased firearms, are exempt from a forfeiture. Handguns are banned on premises licensed to sell alcohol for on-site drinking (Class B license) unless the person is a licensee not drinking, or another exception applies. Private property and businesses, special events, government buildings and university buildings may ban firearms by notice; for buildings this means a sign at least 5 by 7 inches posted near all entrances, and violations are a Class B forfeiture. No state ban at polling places was found.