Jon Richards
Press Release

Rep. Richards Reaffirms Call to Pass Universal Background Checks Law

Today, Rep. Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee) reaffirmed his call for a public hearing and passage of his bill to require criminal background checks for all firearms transactions in Wisconsin.

By - Jan 7th, 2014 09:15 am

Madison—Today, Rep. Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee) reaffirmed his call for a public hearing and passage of his bill to require criminal background checks for all firearms transactions in Wisconsin.

Assembly Bill 138 has languished in the Assembly Criminal Justice Committee for over nine months, despite repeated requests for a hearing by Richards and members of the public. Richards released the following statement calling for a hearing and passage of AB 138.

“Every day we delay this bill is another day a criminal can get their hands on a gun. What is it going to take for this legislature to get serious about passing real reforms to prevent criminals from obtaining guns? Another spa shooting? Another temple shooting? It has been over a year and we have done nothing to prevent another tragedy.

“Far too many firearms purchased in Wisconsin are sold without a background check because these guns are not purchased from a federally licensed dealer. Universal background checks would make it significantly harder for felons, domestic abusers and other dangerous people who cannot legally possess firearms from getting their hands on guns.

“It is time to advance Assembly Bill 138 in the legislative process. We need to use the information available through the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check to help keep guns out of the hands of felons, drug abusers, the severely mentally ill or others who are prohibited from owning firearms.

“Over 70% of Wisconsin voters support making private gun sales and sales at gun shows subject to background checks. It’s time to listen to the people. Universal background checks will make our communities safer.”

Richards along with Rep. Terese Berceau (D-Madison) and Sen. Nikiya Harris (D-Milwaukee) are co-authors of Assembly Bill 138 and Senate Bill 124, companion bills that would mandate background checks on firearm purchases in Wisconsin.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.

Recent Press Releases by Jon Richards

Campaign Launched to Retain Jon Richards as Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge

Richards was appointed to Branch 30 by Governor Evers last month

One thought on “Rep. Richards Reaffirms Call to Pass Universal Background Checks Law”

  1. Wayne says:

    WHEN (if ever) are these people going to get their feet back on the ground, their heads out of the clouds, and do just the LEAST, TINY little bit of FACT-CHECKING before putting together more JUNK legislation ???

    LAWS DO NOT IMPEDE LAW-BREAKERS !

    If they did, there would be; no marijuana sales, no heroin sales, no meth sales, no robberies, no burglaries, no muggings, etc., etc.

    STATISTICS show that the vast majority of guns used in crimes were obtained ILLEGALLY (stolen, for the most part) NOT through purchases made between a law-breaker and a law-abiding citizen ! THIS sort of nonsense will only encumber law-abiding citizens ability to share private property between themselves (friends and family members) and, ultimately, create a new class of criminals who will be punished for DOING NOTHING THAT HARMS ANYONE !

    Please, stop the madness ! Stop the insanity ! Stop the blatent stupidity ! It HURTS to see our so-called “leaders” acting so blindly (again).

Leave a Reply

You must be an Urban Milwaukee member to leave a comment. Membership, which includes a host of perks, including an ad-free website, tickets to marquee events like Summerfest, the Wisconsin State Fair and the Florentine Opera, a better photo browser and access to members-only, behind-the-scenes tours, starts at $9/month. Learn more.

Join now and cancel anytime.

If you are an existing member, sign-in to leave a comment.

Have questions? Need to report an error? Contact Us