Democratic lawmakers, alongside University of Wisconsin-Madison student and faculty organizations, introduced a bill on Aug. 28 which would ramp up the punishment for bringing a firearm onto Wisconsin’s college campuses.
If passed, the bill would make it illegal for anyone — including those who have concealed carry licenses — to possess a firearm anywhere on university or college property. Violations would now be classified as a Class A misdemeanor, which carry a more serious consequence than current repercussions.
“When people have unfettered access to firearms, we can’t live free from the fear of gun violence,” Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, said. “[My] hope is that Wisconsin will join other states that are saying, ‘not on our watch’”.
Current law allows for concealed carry permit holders to bring firearms into public buildings unless signs prohibit it. Universities and colleges can post signs to ban firearms in specific buildings, and violators can be fined up to $1,000 for trespassing.
The bill includes certain exemptions to the ban for campus police officers, tenants of non-dormitory residences, participants in courses that require the use of firearms and people transporting firearms if they are unloaded and stored in a safe.
Student and UW faculty groups support the legislation
The Public Representation of the Faculty Senate (PROFS) and Students Demand Action (SDA) UW-Madison chapter both are working with lawmakers to pass the bill.
Jack O’Meara, a lobbyist for PROFS, said the bill is “very important,” as campus safety is a top priority of students and faculty alike.
“The faculty have a statutory role in managing the university, and the faculty have expressed concerns about the safety of the university and the potential of guns being brought onto campus,” O’Meara told The Daily Cardinal.
Nessa Bliell, founder and president of the SDA chapter at UW-Madison, expressed the importance of gun legislation saying, “according to the CDC, guns are the number one killer of 18 to 25 year olds, making them a serious threat to the lives of today’s college students.”
Data from The Center for Disease Control in 2023 revealed that for people ages 18 to 25, “unintentional injuries” was the leading cause of death, with suicide being second and homocide third, and firearms being the “leading mechanism of injury or mortality.”
With these concerns, Bliell stressed holding politicians responsible saying, “we need to make our voices heard and hold accountable those politicians who choose to cuddle up to the gun lobby rather than protect the lives of the people they represent.”
Rep. Brienne Brown, D-Whitewater, a co-author of the bill, said the problem with passing the legislation concerns Citizens United, a conservative 501 nonprofit group working to discourage gun control laws.
“There’s a lot of money coming in from different lobbying groups, and the NRA is still powerful despite its big controversy.” Rep. Brown told the Cardinal. “Because Wisconsin is a big hunting state, that can complicate legislation surrounding guns.”
Despite complications, Brown said that if enough people call their legislators, “we could probably do something about it, because even in Republican districts, Republicans believe this too. Republican voters also believe that there should be common sense rules.”
In the past, gun safety legislation has been difficult to pass, and Democratic lawmakers have said it is unlikely Republicans will co-sponsor this bill.
Republicans have introduced a bill to make a sales tax on gun safes exempt to encourage people to use them and a bill which would allow teachers to have guns in their classrooms to address school shootings.
