Senate Republicans pushed through a repeal of Wisconsin’s 48-hour waiting period for handgun purchases Tuesday amid vocal resistance from Democrats.
Under the bill, proposed by state Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, a former police officer who said last month he carries a concealed pistol around the state Capitol, handguns may be in the possession of their new owner as soon as background checks are completed.
Proponents of the repeal said the waiting period is an artifact of a time when background checks were not instantaneous and called it a time tax that fails to address gun violence.
“Times have changed since the waiting period was put on the books,” Wanggaard said. “There’s no statistical evidence that it reduces violence whatsoever.”
Democrats criticized the bill for pandering to gun manufacturers and the National Rifle Association, and claimed eliminating the cooling off period could lead to an increase in crimes of passion.
“Unfortunately, today we saw another clear example of Republicans in the state putting special interest groups before people and sound public policy,” state Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, said in a statement.
