Contact: Sean Simons, sean@responsiblesolutions.org, 215.778.1411
WASHINGTON, DC – Americans for Responsible Solutions, the gun violence prevention organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Navy combat veteran and NASA astronaut Captain Mark Kelly, issued the below statement on the Wisconsin Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee’s vote to advance Wisconsin bill S169, a dangerous new proposal that would allow any eligible person to purchase a firearm and carry concealed handguns in public without a permit and eliminate the ban on guns in K-12 schools.
Nico Bocour, State Legislative Manager, Americans for Responsible Solutions:
“By advancing this reckless bill, the Wisconsin Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee is sacrificing the safety of Wisconsin’s students, teachers and communities in order to further the gun lobby’s dangerous agenda. The bill they just passed will make it easier for dangerous people to carry loaded, concealed firearms in public places – like movie theaters, parks and shopping malls – without a permit while making it harder for police to keep our communities safe. The bill is so extreme that it would eliminate the current ban on guns in K-12 schools, making it easier for dangerous people to bring loaded guns into classrooms and playgrounds. We urge the Wisconsin Senate to defeat this dangerous bill.”
About Permitless Carry
Currently, Wisconsin generally prohibits any person from carrying a handgun concealed in public without a concealed handgun licence. S169 would repeal Wisconsin’s existing concealed carry permitting system, which would make it significantly harder for law enforcement to identify prohibited people, like felons and domestic abusers, who are illegally carrying guns in public. The carrying of concealed weapons increases the risk that everyday disagreements will escalate into shootouts, especially in places where disputes frequently occur—in bars, at sporting events, and in traffic. Permissive concealed carry laws pose a serious threat to public safety and violate the shared expectation that public places will be safe environments free from guns and gun violence.
About Guns In Schools
School shootings are so shocking because schools are generally safe havens from the violence that is so frequent elsewhere in this country. Laws establishing gun-free school zones have significantly reduced gun violence in these areas—school associated student homicide rates decreased dramatically after the enactment of federal laws prohibiting guns on the grounds of K–12 schools. Under current law, Wisconsin’s K-12 school buildings and grounds are automatically gun-free. This bill would put the onus on schools to post signs in compliance with specific standards. A school wishing to prohibit guns would be required to post signs at every entrance or access point to an area in a building or on school grounds where guns are prohibited. Any school that fails to follow these requirements accurately would automatically be deemed to allow guns on the property, putting kids at risk. Gun lobby efforts to allow guns into schools are dangerous and counterproductive to public safety. Read more about the dangers of guns in schools here.
