| Democrats Propose Bill to Close the Ghost Gun Loophole |
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| News |
| Written by Wisconsin Democrats |
| Thursday, 06 February 2020 15:28 |
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MADISON - On February 5, Senator Erpenbach and Representative Hesselbein circulated a proposal to close the ghost gun loophole to keep Wisconsinites safe. Over a year ago, our community fell victim to this loophole when a gunman opened fire in a Middleton workplace. Despite the fact that the gunman was prevented from buying or processing a firearm, he was able to legally assemble the weapon’s parts and create an untraceable firearm without a serial number, therefore avoiding the required background check. On the year anniversary of the shooting, now retired Middleton Chief of Police Charles Foulke sent out a letter asking that elected officials close loopholes and enact commonsense gun safety legislation, including ghost guns. That is why we are now introducing this proposal. This bill is aimed to address the issue of undetectable firearms and possession of a firearm that is not marked with a serial number, to try and prevent what happened in Middleton from ever happening again. Senator Erpenbach and Representative Hesselbein released the following statement:
“Undetectable firearms are not regulated and pose a significant threat to the safety of our community. We have seen the impact of loose firearm safety laws and we cannot continue to be silent when people in our community are asking for change. Paradigm and our public safety organizations have shown real leadership in addressing this issue. It’s time Wisconsin stands behind them with laws that reflect the will of the people,” said Representative Hesselbein. |
"Ghost Guns" are untraceable firearms legally assembled at home without a serial number that could pose a significant threat to public safety in the wrong hands.
“After the shooting in Middleton that happened in September 2018, calls for action to address gun violence have grown,” said Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-West Point). “Unfortunately, there hasn’t been any progress to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. Wisconsinites deserve to feel safe when they go about their days, but Republicans have refused to close glaring loopholes that allow criminals to possess firearms. We shouldn’t have to accept this as our reality. We should close the ghost gun loophole and protect our communities from further gun violence.”