The Wisconsin chapter of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement after six people, five men and one woman, were found fatally shot in a Milwaukee home on Sunday. Details are still developing.
“Our hearts break for the loved ones of those taken in this terrible incident. Our communities continue to bear the tragedies brought by the gun violence crisis but it does not have to be this way,” said Jenevia Blanks, a survivor of gun violence and volunteer with Moms Demand Action in Wisconsin. “Our lawmakers can and should be taking action on common sense, bipartisan solutions to protect communities from gun violence. Instead, they have prioritized advancing dangerous legislation to weaken protections and haven’t passed a gun safety bill in three years. We will keep fighting until all Wisconsin communities are safe from gun violence.”
Everytown’s new gun law rankings report highlights the clear correlation between weak gun safety laws and high rates of gun deaths. Wisconsin has relatively weak gun laws and is missing key gun safety measures – like background checks on all gun sales and laws to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. As such, Wisconsin is currently experiencing high levels of gun violence.
In an average year, 641 people die and 1,093 people are wounded by guns in Wisconsin. 68 percent of all gun deaths in the state are by firearm suicide, and the rate of gun deaths has increased 59 percent from 2011 to 2020 in Wisconsin, compared to a 33 percent increase nationwide.
Learn more about gun violence in Wisconsin here.