Assembly Speaker Robin Vos removed one of his most vulnerable members from JCRAR and replaced him with a departing state rep just as the committee could be thrust into the COVID-19 reopening debate. Vos spokeswoman Kit Beyer wrote in an email to WisPolitics.com that Rep. Romaine Quinn, who isn’t running this fall, was added to the committee after the Barron Republican made a request to the speaker. He replaced GOP Rep. Jim Ott, who has served on the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules for four of the past five sessions and co-chaired the body in the 2011-12 session.

Gun sales in Wisconsin have spiked during the coronavirus pandemic, a new analysis found. In an analysis of FBI background checks, the organization Everytown For Gun Safety said the estimated number of guns sold in the state rose by 44 percent in April 2020 when compared to last year (43,033 to 29,981). Additionally, Everytown said sales between both April and March are up 60 percent over the same time in 2019. DHS Secretary Andrea Palm first claimed there was evidence of COVID-19 community spread in the state on March 17. Jennifer Rosen-Heinz, a spokeswoman for Everytown affiliate Moms Demand Action, told WisPolitics.com