Deadly Shooting at Abundant Life Christian School Left a Student and Teacher Dead, and Several More Injured; Shooter was a 15-Year-Old Student
In Wisconsin an Average of 69 Children and Teens Die by Guns Every Year
Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Volunteers will be at the Capitol Today at 12:30 CT, Encouraging Lawmakers to Prioritize Gun Violence Prevention Legislation. For more information, please reach out to [email protected].
MADISON, Wis. — Today, the Wisconsin General Assembly convenes for the 2025 legislative session. Session begins in the wake of the December 16th school shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, which resulted in a student and teacher being shot and killed, and multiple others critically injured. The shooter was a 15-year-old student of the school. During the 2025 session, Wisconsin lawmakers have the opportunity to strengthen the states’ gun violence prevention laws, especially the state’s secure firearm storage laws, a critical policy to keep guns out of the hands of children and teens. Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers will be at the Capitol at 12:30 today to welcome lawmakers back and encourage them to prioritize passing gun violence prevention legislation.
“With wounds from the tragedy at Abundant Life Christian School still fresh, the urgency for stronger gun violence prevention laws in Wisconsin has never been clearer,” said Lindsey Buscher, lead with the Wisconsin chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Our state has a dangerously weak Child Access Prevention (CAP) law with penalties that only apply if a child under 14 actually accesses an unsecured stored firearm. Not to mention, our state background checks on all firearm sales. It is critical that Wisconsin lawmakers act decisively to pass robust secure firearm storage laws and comprehensive school safety policies to protect our children and prevent future tragedies.”
Secure firearm storage laws save lives. With three-quarters of school shooters under the age of 18 getting the gun from their home or the home of a close relative, secure firearm storage is vital in securing our classrooms and protecting our children. Child Access Protection laws like Wisconsin’s are associated with a 34% lower rate of child accidental shootings. There are stronger versions of storage laws with penalties that apply if a child may or is likely to access a carelessly stored gun–and that kind of law is associated with even lower rates of child accidental shootings. The strongest version of storage laws apply to all gun owners, regardless of the potential presence of a child, and those are associated with 78% lower rates of child accidental shootings. Wisconsin’s law should be strengthened so that more children’s lives can be saved.
Wisconsin also has no law requiring background checks on unlicensed gun sales or Extreme Risk law to allow family members or law enforcement to petition for the temporary removal of guns from dangerous situations. Both these laws are critical tools in making sure children and teens, or people at risk of harming themselves or others are not able to get access to firearms. More information on effective prevention methods can be found here.
Firearms are the leading cause of death for children, teens and young adults (ages 1 to 25) in the United States. Children, teens and young adults in the U.S. are impacted by gun violence in all its forms. Exposure to gun violence has an impact on the psychological and mental well-being of young people and affects their school performance, among other factors.
According to an analysis by Everytown, gun violence on K-12 school grounds rose by 31 percent last school year, the second-highest number of incidents since Everytown began tracking gun violence at schools more than a decade ago.
In an average year, 741 people die and 1,686 are wounded by guns in Wisconsin. Guns are the second leading cause of death among children and teens in Wisconsin. In Wisconsin an average of 69 children and teens die by guns every year. More information about gun violence in Wisconsin is available here.