Gun Safety Advocates Call For Bill To Require Background Checks

Democrats and gun control advocates are making another push for a bill to require background checks for all gun purchases in Wisconsin.

People already have to undergo background checks before they buy guns from federally licensed firearms dealers, but not if they buy guns at gun shows or over the Internet. A bill that Democrats introduced almost a year ago would require all gun purchases to go through federally licensed gun dealers. State Rep. Terese Berceau, D-Madison, called on majority Republicans to act on the plan, listing the sites of gun tragedies to emphasize her point.

“After Columbine, this Legislature did nothing. After Virginia Tech, we did nothing. After Aurora, Brookfield and Oak Creek and Tuscon, this Legislature did nothing,” Berceau said. “Now, a year after Newtown, we have done … little. We have done some, but we have not done enough.”

Also backing the proposal at a state Capitol news conference was Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney, who said he wasn’t there to speak against the ownership of firearms.

“I’m a hunter. I’m a registered firearms dealer. I open my range every year for citizens to bring their firearms to ensure that they are safe and able to handle those firearms,” Mahoney said. “I’m here as a lead law enforcement officer and the chief law enforcement officer in Dane County to ask all of our lawmakers to come together on a common sense, bipartisan bill.”

Surveys last year showed as many as 89 percent of Wisconsin voters support background checks.

Gun groups, however, warn such a law could lead to other restrictions, and a spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said it’s unlikely to advance this session.