Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Applauds Assembly and Senate Committees For Holding Public Safety Hearings to Require Criminal Background Checks On All Gun Sales

Landmark Hearings Show Renewed Momentum By State Legislature to Save Lives From Gun Violence and to Reduce Illegal Gun Trafficking

Wednesday, April 7, 1:00 p.m.

State Capitol North Hearing Room (Second Floor)
Hearing on AB 914
Assembly Committee on Corrections and the Courts

Thursday, April 8, 11:00 a.m.

State Capitol Room 411 South
Hearing on SB 643
Senate Committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing

Momentum is building in the state legislature to finally reform an appalling loophole in Wisconsin's gun laws that permits dangerous individuals to purchase high-capacity handguns, assault rifles and other deadly firearms without ever having to go through a simple criminal background check.  If a firearm is purchased from a federally licensed gun dealer, a criminal background check must legally be conducted.  But no such background check is required for purchasing guns from unlicensed gun sellers such as at gun shows, through classified ads, garage sales, over the Internet, or even purchasing a firearm from a seller's car trunk.  Because background checks are not required on every gun purchase it means that felons, domestic abusers, gang members, teenagers, and even would-be terrorists can easily exploit Wisconsin's weak gun laws to possess guns – if not an entire arsenal of weapons – and oftentimes re-sell those guns to the criminal market. 

 “It's as if a prohibited gun purchaser, like a felon or domestic abuser, could literally pick whether or not they wanted to go through the security line before boarding an airplane.  It's literally that insane.  It's no wonder that with such weak laws that we have so much gun violence in our state and across the country,” said Jeri Bonavia, Executive Director of Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort. Over 450 Wisconsin residents are killed by gunfire every year. 

 In February WAVE hand delivered nearly 5,000 signed postcards from constituents from each of the 99 Assembly Districts to demonstrate the depth of grassroots support for a bill to require background checks on all gun sales.  And more than 75 organizations in Wisconsin support a universal background check on gun sales in addition to scores of police chiefs, sheriffs and law enforcement organizations. 

 A bipartisan and statewide poll found overwhelming support across the political spectrum for enacting a universal background check on all gun sales in Wisconsin.  For example, 7 out of 10 NRA members and supporters favor requiring background checks on gun sales, and 84% of likely voters in Wisconsin support legislation to keep deadly guns out of the wrong hands. 

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