MADISON – WI- Monday Representative Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) joined with Senator Johnson, Senator Agard, Senator Taylor, Representative Subeck, Representative Andraca, and Attorney General Kaul in introducing legislation to expand universal background checks in the state of Wisconsin.

Representative Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) released the following statement:

“One of the greatest threats to the safety of our communities today is constant, unmitigated gun violence. Every day we learn of another tragedy in which a life or multiple lives have been cut short due to the violent use of a firearm. This violence is completely unacceptable and absolutely preventable. There are proven solutions we can put in place at the policy level that are shown to effectively reduce gun violence in our communities. I am sick and tired of seeing these horrific tragedies occur in the district I love; the state I love; the country I love. The time to act is now.”

“This is a matter of public safety and public health. Let us not forget that our youth are disproportionately affected by gun violence. Gun violence is now the leading cause of death among our children and teens in Wisconsin. We cannot ignore how gun violence disproportionately impacts the Black community. In Madison, Black residents makeup only 7% of the population but accounted for 55% of the victims of gun assaults from 2015-2020. In our state, Black people are 4.6 times more likely than white people to die by guns; Black people are 32 times more likely than white people to die by gun homicide.

“Despite what my colleagues who shun reform may claim, the majority of Americans do have some concern about gun violence in our communities. In a 2021 Pew Research Center survey, 48% of American respondents viewed gun violence as a very big problem, 24% as a moderately big problem, and 22% as a small problem. This means just 6% of Americans see no issue with gun violence in our nation. Additionally, there is bipartisan agreement on some gun policy proposals including wide support to restrict gun access from those suffering from mental illness and to impose background checks on private gun sales and gun show sales. From this data, it becomes clear that there are commonsense solutions to reduce gun violence with support from gun owners, non-owners, Democrats and Republicans, alike. Mitigating gun violence is about community safety; ending gun violence should never be a partisan issue.”

“Today, I am proud to stand with members of the Wisconsin Coalition for Gun Safety and Attorney General Josh Kaul as we roll out multiple pieces of legislation that aim to reduce gun violence in our communities. As a coalition, we have worked hard to understand the issue of gun violence and the best methods to build safe, non-violent communities. Now, we will give members of the Wisconsin Legislature the opportunity to support legislation that will prevent harm and improve the lives of every Wisconsinite.”

“In the 2021 legislative session, I introduced several bills to address gun violence. This session, I will continue to introduce commonsense firearms legislation, beginning today with my Background Check Bill, LRB 0110, which would impose background checks on every gun sale. Background checks are a crucial part of comprehensive gun violence prevention and are foundational for safe gun ownership. Mandating universal background checks will keep firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals, making our communities safer for everyone. This common sense legislation will prevent shootings before they occur, while equally respecting the rights of those who are responsible gun owners. Background checks for private gun sales and gun show sales are widely supported by Americans, with over 80% in favor. This support is bipartisan."

“Every day we fail to make change, we fail our people. We allow the next violent individual a chance to wreak havoc, to forever alter and end lives. This is a call to action. To every Wisconsinite, whether or not you own a gun, whether you are a Republican or a Democrat; we must act. None of us should accept the senseless gun violence that plagues our state. I urge support from every Wisconsinite for comprehensive reform of our state’s firearm legislation. Let’s build safe communities, together.”