MADISON, Wis. – State Rep. Chris Taylor, a Madison Democrat, has introduced legislation that would reinstate Wisconsin's 48-hour waiting period for handgun purchases.

In mid-June, Gov. Scott Walker signed legislation repealing the state's decades-long, two-day waiting period.

Walker and the Republican-controlled legislature maintain background checks now can be done in minutes, so the waiting period is no longer necessary. Taylor disagrees.

"That's absolutely not true,” she stresses. “What the waiting period is about is trying to prevent these people who get incensed, or who are in a certain moment, from inflicting harm to themselves or to other people. That was the point."

Pointing out that someone is killed with a gun in Wisconsin every 20 hours on average, Taylor says this is not the time to be making it even easier to buy a handgun.

She says the original law was passed not to allow more time for a background check, but to force a cooling off period on people who make a highly emotional decision to buy a handgun.

According to Taylor, restoring the state's 48-hour waiting period is a small step Wisconsin can take to directly address the issue of gun violence in the nation.

"And now we have a new study that says, in fact, states that have waiting periods have a lower incidence of suicide, so it makes a lot of sense,” she points out. “This is about preventing these impulsive, horrible acts of violence."

There have been more than 100 homicides in Milwaukee so far this year, compared with 86 during all of 2014. Overall, Wisconsin had 111 gun homicides last year.

Wisconsin's 48-hour waiting period was passed overwhelmingly by the state Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Patrick Lucey in March 1976. Taylor says the intent of the law was very clear, back in the '70s.

"We needed a cooling off period,” she states. “Having a cooling off period might prevent somebody impulsively at the spur of the moment from getting a handgun, and either causing harm to themselves or to others, and that rationale is still present today."





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As the new year begins, state lawmakers and officials will continue to grapple with how to prevent school shootings, like the one just two weeks ago in Madison.

While Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul has called for a "holistic approach" to prevent such incidents, gun violence prevention advocates said prevention starts with stronger gun laws.

Lindsay Nicols, policy director at the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, said the state could require universal background checks for gun purchases or raise the age for gun possession.

"We know that some of these shooters are young people themselves, and there are plenty of policies, for example, to keep guns out of the hands of youth," Nicols pointed out. "These are laws that some states have passed and some haven't, so we need action from our lawmakers to prevent, and protect our kids."

She noted other options are to pass a "red flag" law, or strengthen legislation on firearms storage. Giffords ranks states on a scorecard for their gun laws every year. Wisconsin most recently received a "C" grade.

Giffords' yearly analysis also compares states' gun laws with their fatal outcomes. Nicols emphasized time and again, they have found the stronger a state's gun laws, the lower its gun death rate, and the weaker the laws, the higher the gun death rate.

"We know that these gun laws work," Nicols contended. "There really is no reason why legislators shouldn't be taking action to prevent these tragedies."

While Wisconsin has enacted basic gun safety laws, she argued the state could also pass bans on assault weapons or high-capacity magazines or lengthen the waiting period for a firearms purchase. Despite public pressure for new gun safety laws in 2020, Wisconsin has not passed any significant gun legislation in years. Democrats have tried unsuccessfully to introduce at least 30 gun safety measures since 2019.


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Nearly 40% of guns used in Oregon homicides are illegally trafficked through legal gun dealers and another 30% are stolen from them, according to new research.

The report by the Alliance for a Safe Oregon highlights gaps in security, training and inspections among the state's 2,100 gun dealers. The report showed employees often lack training to detect "straw purchases," when someone buys a gun for another person who cannot legally own one.

Jess Marks, executive director of the alliance, said increasing state inspections, which now happen only every 10 years, could help reduce illegal gun trafficking.

"When we compare that to every other industry -- hair salons, nails, taco trucks, the cannabis industry -- that are inspected every six months, every two years," Marks pointed out. "We have got to be doing better."

The report said training employees to recognize straw gun sales, as well as upgrading gun dealers' storage and security measures, go a long way. Marks argued states with such policies in place, like New Jersey, have a 35% lower homicide rate.

The report found straw purchases and stolen firearms have fueled a significant rise in Oregon homicides, which have surged by 172% in the past decade. Marks emphasized most gun dealers are unaware when fraudulent purchases occur and stressed more regulations would protect ethical dealers.

"The vast majority, who are good dealers, they don't want other dealers allowing firearms going into, and showing up in, crimes," Marks pointed out.

The report blamed lax oversight, which allows Oregon gun dealers with repeated safety and security violations to operate without repercussions. Marks contended the solutions are common sense policies most people support.

"If we want to bring down our homicide rate, lower shootings, we've got to deal with the problem of illegal guns in our communities," Marks concluded.


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Gun violence has long been a pressing issue in Alabama, and the recent tragic shooting at Tuskegee University has reignited urgent calls for action.

Leading the response, Alabama Values, in partnership with The Flourish, brought together leaders, advocates, and community groups through their "Justice in Focus" initiative. The effort aims to reshape public safety by prioritizing prevention, equity, and community healing over traditional statistics-driven approaches.

Leroy Maxwell Jr., managing pertner of the Maxwell Tillman law firm, emphasized the need to revisit state policies on firearm access, noting that current laws make it too easy for dangerous weapons to circulate.

"Try to enact counter legislation that's reasonable and sensible," Maxwell urged. "The idea that someone in this state can have a silencer, where the only point of it is to sneak up behind someone and kill them, there's no sort of self-defense value to it."

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show Alabama had the 12th-highest gun death rate among Black people in the country in 2022. Advocates made clear legislative reform is just one part of the solution, emphasizing the need for smarter laws to reduce harm without creating unintended consequences.

Legislation, however, is only part of the puzzle.

Jacques Austin, a licensed counselor for the group Brother Let's Talk, said addressing emotional and mental health challenges is equally important. He explained how communities often struggle to process grief and conflict constructively, which can escalate tensions and violence over time.

"When emotions run high and there are no resources to help people process them like counseling or community education, communication can break down," Austin explained. "Instead of open, empathetic dialogue, people may communicate defensively or aggressively."

Uche Bean, director of community safety initiatives for the City of Birmingham, believes when it comes to addressing gun violence, creating safe communities starts with treating it as a public health crisis. She said breaking cycles of violence requires intentional investment in community.

"The comprehensive approach is not just focused on overall crime, it's community safety," Bean emphasized. "It is making sure that in every instance of these cycles of violence that we're providing support, resources and funding."

Bean added public safety is not just about enforcement, it is about intervening to stop violence before it starts.


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