CONTACT: Zach Madden, 608-266-7521(office) 920-627-5773 (cell)
MADISON – Today, Representative Lisa Subeck (D-Madison), Representative Jimmy Anderson (D-Fitchburg), Representative Terese Berceau (D-Madison), Representative Melissa Sargent (D-Madison), and Representative Chris Taylor (D-Madison) circulated for co-sponsorship LRB-2517 to give state and local government the authority to prohibit weapons on a public mass transportation system. Last week, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court ruled local units of government could not prohibit weapons on public transportation based on an existing state law that preempts local government control. 
“For years, cities and counties that operate public transit systems determined whether or not to allow weapons on their busses, and that should never have changed,” said Representative Lisa Subeck. “This legislation enables those responsible for providing transit services to determine how best to ensure their employees’ and their riders’ safety.”
Currently, state and local units of government have the authority to prohibit a person from carrying a weapon into public buildings. LRB-2517 would give state and local government the same authority as it relates to a public mass transportation system.
 
“Local government has a responsibility to the public and to its employees to maintain public health and safety in its facilities,” said Subeck. “This legislation allows them to do just that, not only in our publicly owned buildings but also in our public transit vehicles.”
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