MILWAUKEE – Today the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors rejected (13-3) a proposal by Supervisors Patti Logsdon, Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, and Felesia A. Martin to allow Milwaukee County to host gun shows at the Milwaukee County Sports Complex. Supervisors Ryan Clancy, Joseph J. Czarnezki, and Liz Sumner released the following statement applauding this decision.
“We are just three days removed from yet another mass shooting in Colorado and have barely caught our breath from the horrific mass shooting in Atlanta. We are relieved by the County Board’s decision to reject this proposal.
“The gun show loophole ensures that people can purchase and receive weapons on the same day, as opposed to having to complete a common-sense background check which 89% of Americans approve of. Milwaukee County should have no part in facilitating gun sales, especially when state law prohibits us from mandating background checks or other common-sense measures at gun shows on our grounds.
“At the most recent Parks Committee meeting, we heard the claim several times that this gun show has happened ‘without incident’ for many years. That claim is entirely without merit. The fact is that the majority of sellers at gun shows are not federally licensed, and can sell guns without a background check, even to people who might have a history of domestic abuse, a restraining order, or who intend to use that weapon to immediately commit a crime. We have no way of knowing whether a gun purchased at this show was used in a crime.
“The recent killings in Atlanta were with a weapon that was purchased the same day. Because there are no background checks, and because there is no registry of sales from private dealers, we cannot know if a weapon purchased from a private dealer at a gun show was used in a crime unless they happen to leave the receipt behind.
“We thank our colleagues who voted to reject this proposal and call on members of the Wisconsin State Legislature to enact common-sense gun laws to keep Wisconsinites safe.”
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Rob Hullum
Communications Specialist
Office of the Milwaukee County Clerk
901 N. 9th Street, Room 201
Milwaukee, WI 53233
414-278-4285
robert.hullum@milwaukeecountywi.gov
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