MADISON, Wis. – As Gov. Tony Evers and Democratic lawmakers tout support for a "red flag" bill in Wisconsin, Republicans are taking issue with the governor's comments on mandatory gun buybacks.

Thursday's news conference was supposed to be about strengthening background checks and Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO) or a proposed "red flag" law to allow a judge to seize people's firearms for up to a year if they pose a threat to themselves or others.

But when Evers said he'd also consider mandatory buyback of assault weapons, top Republican leaders lashed out, claiming it's all a ploy to take guns from legal owners. Democratic Rep. Melissa Sargent of Madison sponsors the "red flag" bill.

"I haven't seen any legislation when it comes to gun buybacks this session," says Sargent. “And quite frankly I'm investing my time and energy into these two bills and commit to work hard with the attorney general, the governor and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to move them forward and save lives in Wisconsin."

Seventeen states and the District of Columbia have passed similar red-flag bills. Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke has been pushing for mandatory gun buybacks in recent weeks but GOP leaders in Wisconsin say a state proposal would not succeed as long as they remain in control.

Sargent says the string of mass shootings around the country should be enough to get lawmakers to act.

"I know that gun violence is a true reality for too many people in the state of Wisconsin and that the status quo is not working for our friends and neighbors,” says Sargent. “And it's vitally important that we as a Legislature stand up and hear the cries of the people in our communities."

Sargent also sponsors the bill calling for an expansion of background checks for gun sales in the state. It would require the Wisconsin Department of Justice to conduct checks on purchases made at gun shows, online auctions and other sales that aren't covered by federal law.

Republicans have said they had no interest in the bill.


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Nevada's Democratic lawmakers are trying again to advance gun-control legislation, including measures to ban firearms from election sites and prohibit anyone younger than 21 from purchasing or possessing a semiautomatic shotgun or assault rifle.

Asm. Sandra Jauregui, D-Las Vegas, said despite similar efforts falling to vetoes in 2023, it is an issue she will not stop fighting for. For Jauregui it is personal. She is a survivor of the 2017 shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival, which claimed the lives of 60 people.

Gov. Joe Lombardo defended his veto of the polling place gun ban in 2023 because of a ghost gun provision he felt was unconstitutional. Jauregui pointed out this time around, that component isn't there.

"I am hoping that the governor will sign my bill because he has even said in interviews that he agrees election sites are sensitive locations," Jauregui pointed out. "This is a stand-alone, clean bill now that only impacts election sites. And I don't know anyone who doesn't believe that everyone should exercise their most fundamental right to vote without fear of intimidation."

Jauregui added she hopes her Republican colleagues can get on board. In 2023, both of her bills passed on party lines. She called the pieces of legislation common sense and believes the issue should be nonpartisan.

Jauregui noted in Nevada, one has to be 21 years old to purchase a handgun, therefore it therefore makes no sense when someone turns 18 they can buy a semiautomatic firearm. Assembly Bill 245 would seek to change it.

"We know that the day the Uvalde shooter turned 18, the day he turned 18, he walked into a firearms dealer and he bought two semiautomatic firearms that he then used to go into Robb Elementary School and create that horrible incident that so many families are struggling to get through now," Jauregui recounted.

Jauregui emphasized while Lombardo was not present the night of the shooting on October 1, 2017, she said she knows he was witness to the carnage that happened afterward as sheriff.

"I hope that when these bills make it to his desk, he remembers the devastation that guns cause to our community and that he finds it in himself to stand up to the gun lobby and to protect Nevadans," Jauregui concluded.


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Support for Governor Tony Evers's first statewide Office of Violence Prevention is gaining momentum, as some safety experts and advocates say they're hopeful it'll save lives. Reggie Moore heads community safety at the Medical College of Wisconsin. He formerly led Milwaukee's violence prevention office during a critical period following a 70-percent increase in homicides in 2015. He believes people understand the intent and potential for offices like these.

"The fact that cities are getting smarter on crime and the impact that these types of interventions can have in addressing violence before it happens, I think is something that people understand that we should be doing."

He says that starts with a public health approach to preventing gun violence. It's that approach, he adds, that contributed to Milwaukee's four-year decline in homicides and nonfatal shootings beginning in 2016. He adds that was one of the biggest declines in the country at the time.

While violence prevention offices are not new, larger investments in them are. Moore says in 2016, when he started leading the Milwaukee office, few existed. Now, he says there are more than seventy across the country. Moore says the historic levels of federal investments is promising, since law enforcement can't and shouldn't do this work alone.


"For hundreds of years the country has taken a criminal justice approach solely to this issue, but understanding the fact that this is also a public health crisis, and hearing the governor declare this the year of the kid, I think it's timely given the fact that since 2020 gun violence has become the leading cause of death of children."

Earlier this month, Governor Evers announced he's directing 10-million dollars to the Office of Violence Prevention. The funds are from the American Rescue Plan Act and will provide grants to school districts, law enforcement agencies and nonprofits to help reduce gun violence. It's still unclear whether the Trump administration will impact federal funds for programs like these.





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President Donald Trump has been busy signing executive orders since his inauguration.

Gun violence prevention advocates in Minnesota hope he isn't aggressive in undoing recent work to keep communities safer.

The White House website for the Office of Gun Violence Prevention, created under the Biden administration, recently went dark.

Staffers insist sudden online changes are a formality as they retool under new leadership, hinting that landing pages for key topics will be restored.

But Maggiy Emery, executive director of the group Protect Minnesota, said she doesn't feel reassured much of the office's mission will be maintained.

"We were finally seeing some of those rates of gun violence go down," said Emery, "you know, especially here in Minnesota."

Gun violence deaths in Minnesota were down 5% in 2023, the last year for available numbers.

And the national Brady organization credits the Office of Gun Violence Prevention for supporting the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms in shutting down more than 800 rogue gun dealers in the U.S.

While the future is uncertain for this White House initiative, Trump has dismantled a new school safety committee that included parents of school shooting victims.

Trump administration officials say they want to prioritize national security matters.

But Emery said despite recent progress, gun violence is still a public health crisis in the U.S.

She added that the initiative under President Joe Biden was bringing to light how rural areas affected.

"We know that the Office of Violence Prevention on the federal level was looking at what can we do to reduce rates of gun violence," said Emery, "not only in urban areas, but in rural areas where folks are really the most impacted in Minnesota. You know, guidances and legislation around safe storage is now looking more unlikely."

More than 70% of gun deaths in Minnesota are from suicides, and Emery said most are in rural areas.

If federal solutions fall by the wayside, she said she hopes Minnesota lawmakers pass a state law for safe gun storage this year.

In Trump's first term, bump stocks - the rapid-fire gun accessories - were banned. However, the U.S. Supreme Court later struck down that order.




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