Governor Scott Walker throws support to bill dropping handgun wait period

MADISON (AP) — Gov. Scott Walker says he supports a bill that would eliminate Wisconsin's 48-hour waiting period for handgun purchases.

Walker said he wants the state to be a leader on the issue. The Wisconsin State Journal reported Tuesday that Walker's remarks came in an interview last week with the National Rifle Association's news network.

A bill before legislators would eliminate Wisconsin's 40-year-old law that requires the wait between the time a background check is submitted to the Department of Justice and a handgun is acquired.

An assembly committee held a hearing on the bill last week. Rep. Fred Kessler, a Milwaukee Democrat on the committee, says he supports an amendment that would create an exception for people arrested multiple times for domestic abuse.