MILWAUKEE, Wis. - Gov. Tony Evers is pushing for two gun-control bills stuck in limbo, as Republican lawmakers refuse to debate or bring them up for a vote.
The governor called the Legislature into a special session set for early November to discuss the bills, which would enforce background checks, as well as a red-flag law that gives courts authority to take guns away from someone they deem to be a threat.
Republican lawmakers say the bills infringe on Second Amendment rights. Jeri Bonavia, executive director of Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, said the special session will force the bills to the spotlight. "I think that there is a tightly focused kind of view of what is happening in the Legislature, and I don't think that legislators will be able to just brush this off," Bonavia said.
According to a poll from Marquette University's Law School, 80% of Wisconsin residents support the gun-control bills. The background checks would be conducted for online, gun show and auction purchases. Meanwhile, the red-flag bill would allow guns to be seized for up to 1 year. Bonavia said the special session will be a self-check for Republican lawmakers. "I think it's going to make our leadership in the Legislature need to answer questions and really shine a light on how they are standing in the way of life-saving policies," she said.
The special session is set for Nov. 7, when Gov. Evers will call for a vote on both bills. However, it's expected to be a tough sell for the Legislature, where members of the Republican majority have said the answer to gun violence is to focus on mental-health services.
