Alderman Urges Gun Control After Attack

Milwaukee Alderman Cavalier Johnson is calling for state legislators to create new gun control polices after his car was stuck by gunfire.

Johnson said he was at home on the northwest side of Milwaukee with his three young children on Tuesday afternoon when he heard shots ring out just outside his house. One bullet hit his car and two shell casings were found on his property, Johnson said.

No one was hurt but there is emotional trauma from the incident, he said. His 9-year-old son had to “hit the floor” and was frightened in his own home. Johnson doesn’t believe he was targeted, however, he said the incident was an act of reckless gun fire.

Johnson said that residents in Wisconsin want gun policy reform and it’s time for state officials to start taking the matter seriously.

“The legislative leadership in this state seems to refuse to even acknowledge that the elephant in the room is that people who should not have guns in the first place have too easy access to them under current law,” Johnson said. “They refuse to even try doing something different.”

According to a Marquette University Law School poll conducted last year, 81 percent of Wisconsin residents favor extended background checks on private gun sales and 56 percent of those polled favored banning assault-style weapons.

Johnson said no one should experience reckless gun fire and that state officials need to make a difference.

“You can protect one person’s Second Amendment rights and another’s life and liberty — those actions are not mutually exclusive,” he said.

Last week, Gov. Tony Evers unveiled legislation to expand background checks for gun purchases in Wisconsin. The bill would make it so gun sales would have to be made through a federally licensed firearms dealer and involve a background check. Republican legislative leaders have signaled they are unlikely to take the bill up, saying it could violate constitutional rights.

Johnson said that police don’t have a suspect in custody and the investigation is ongoing.

Listen to the WPR report here.

Milwaukee Alderman Calls For Gun Law Reform After Car Was Shot was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.