Wisconsin Lawmakers Introduce Legislation to Create an Extreme Risk Protection Order Process, Require Background Checks on all Firearm Transfers, Improve their Secure Storage Law, and More.
MADISON, Wis. — The Wisconsin chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, issued the following statements after gun sense champions in the legislature introduced the ‘Safer Summer’ Wisconsin bill package, which is a life-saving omnibus package to protect communities from gun violence. The introduction of this legislation comes after Republicans in the legislature removed gun violence prevention measures from the 2025 state budget.
“It’s time for Wisconsin to follow the lead of our neighbors and pass common-sense firearm safety laws,” said Lindsey Buscher, a volunteer with the Wisconsin chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Other states have already taken action by implementing policies requiring background checks on all firearm sales, instituting waiting periods for handgun transfers, and implementing extreme risk protection order processes. Now it’s Wisconsin’s turn. We are grateful to gun sense champions in the state legislature for introducing these specific, evidence-based policies that have already been shown to help prevent gun violence in other states and keep communities safe by working to curb suicide rates and ensure firearms don’t fall into the wrong hands during a time of crisis. Lawmakers must act without delay.”
“After Republicans shamefully stripped funding for gun violence prevention from the state budget, it’s powerful to see leaders still fighting for our safety,” said Megan Egstad, a volunteer with Sun Prairie High School Students Demand Action chapter. “My generation has grown up with lockdown drills and constant fear of gun violence. We’re over it. These bills are a step toward the safer future we deserve–and we’re demanding action.”
The ‘Safe Summer’ Bill Package includes critical measures to keep firearms out of dangerous hands. The policies being considered include:
- A bill to establish an Extreme Risk law sometimes known as “Red Flag” law that would create a process through an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) allowing law enforcement, family, or household members to petition a court to temporarily restrict access to firearms by a person at risk of harming themselves or others. ERPOs can help put time and space between a person in crisis and firearms and are a proven way to prevent gun violence.
- A bill to expand Wisconsin’s background check requirement beyond handguns to include long guns as well.
- A bill to raise the age from 14 to 18 for requiring secure storage of firearms when not in use. Securing firearms protects children and adults by preventing unintentional shootings and gun suicides, and can also prevent gun violence at schools by reducing school-age children’s access to guns.
Data shows that the vast majority of unintentional shooting deaths of children occur at home. In addition, in incidents of school shootings, the data shows that the shooters are often current or former students and that the guns they use are most often obtained from their home or the homes of their relatives.
Wisconsin has not enacted or repealed major gun safety policies in recent years, despite significant public pressure to enact protective laws since 2020. Wisconsin experiences a gun violence rate close to the national average, however Black residents are 40x more likely to die by gun homicide than white residents. In fact, Wisconsin has the highest gun homicide disparity between Black residents and white residents in the entire country.
Gun violence costs Wisconsin $8.4 billion each year, of which $144.3 million is paid by taxpayers. Wisconsin suffers from weak gun laws, ranking #23 out of all 50 states. In an average year, 741 people die by guns in Wisconsin, and 1,686 more are wounded. Firearms are the second leading cause of death among children and teens in Wisconsin. More information about gun violence in Wisconsin is available here.