At the Capitol, Democrats propose a “safe summer” package of gun safety measures.
Four bills mirror provisions pulled from Governor Tony Evers’ proposed budget by Republicans on the Joint Finance Committee. JFC member Senator LaTonya Johnson calls them “common sense.”
“Universal background checks – 87% of Wisconsinites agree with that. 48 hour waiting period. Red flag laws. And we missed an opportunity to do something about ghost guns,” Johnson said.
“The reason that we keep coming back to this issue is because every year, in fact every month there are lives that are lost to gun violence in this state,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul.
Gun violence isn’t just an urban issue: advocates note suicides account for the majority of gun deaths in the state and disproportionately affect older men in rural Wisconsin.