State Rep. Chris Taylor
Press Release

Will Republicans Get Serious About Gun Violence?

Rep. Taylor’s Statement on Rep. Kremer’s Proposal for Guns on UW Campuses

By - Oct 13th, 2015 10:12 am

MADISON – In response to Representative Jesse Kremer’s (R-Kewaskum) latest proposal to prohibit the UW system’s current firearm ban, Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison) issued the following statement:

“First it was ending life-saving research at UW-Madison. Then it was telling our public school kids which bathrooms they can use. Now, Rep. Kremer’s latest proposal out of far right-field eliminates the UW System’s current firearm ban, and would allow guns, including concealed carry, on all UW campuses.

“To the horror of the American people, college campus shootings are unfortunately becoming a weekly occurrence.  Yet the only answer from the Republican majority is more guns and more violence. Who asked for this bill? I proudly represent a big chunk of UW-Madison and I know it wasn’t the students, it wasn’t the parents and it definitely wasn’t the majority of staff and faculty. Just last week, I met with a group of women students to discuss sexual assault on campus and not a single person proposed that allowing guns on campus would curb sexual violence. Not one. Bullets and backpacks simply don’t go together.

“How many of our children have to be murdered for Republicans to get serious about gun violence? Common sense legislation, including universal background checks and re-instituting Wisconsin’s 48 hour waiting period for handgun purchases, are good places to start. Instead, we see cowboy legislators from the radical right calling for more guns instead of working to pass meaningful legislation to curb violence.”

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.

Mentioned in This Press Release

9 thoughts on “Will Republicans Get Serious About Gun Violence?”

  1. Barb-West Bend says:

    At the Capitol yesterday I noticed a sign on a wall in a legislator’s office in big red letters: “Guns are allowed on these premises.” Chamber entry doors posted notices that guns were not allowed inside those areas. Gov. Walker has two armed police officers outside his office for his protection. I imagine our Capitol is filled with Republican legislators, senators, and supreme court justices armed to the teeth. It may not be much longer before our representatives and senators will settle differences by pistol duels on the front lawn of the Capitol. Won’t that be exciting!

  2. AG says:

    Well Barb, at least we won’t have to worry about a mass shooting at the Capitol Building.

    Clearly though, the gun bans have worked so well at the sites of these mass shootings.

    Admittedly this bill is a mental game so people believe these sites are more secure from mass shootings. However, since the vast vast VAST majority of shootings are from people who break gun laws and are rarely prosecuted… we know this will have no real affect.

  3. Vincent Hanna says:

    Most mass shootings occur where firearms are allowed (like the Oregon campus). http://everytownresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/MassShooting-080715-9.pdf

  4. AG says:

    Indeed, most “mass shootings,” which is any shooting of 4 or more people, mostly happen in homes or parking lots (sometimes outside of “gun free zones” but still generally accepted places to posses guns).

    All the attention on mass shootings and gun control for law abiding citizens is rather unimportant when you compare it to the daily shootings that happen in cities across the country by people who care less about the law (gun laws or otherwise).

  5. Vincent Hanna says:

    But the fact that there will always be people who use guns to commit crime doesn’t mean we should not care about gun laws/gun violence and do nothing. We have 350 million guns in this country. More guns isn’t the answer. And overall the states with the most lenient gun laws have the most gun violence. No shocker.

  6. AG says:

    Also no shocker, most of the gun violence in those states with the most lenient gun laws happen in areas of the state with the strictest gun laws. Hmm… conundrum.

    Really neither of those matter, it’s the ol’ correlation does not mean causation.

    Factors like family stability, education, poverty, and others have far more affect on gun violence than having strict or lenient gun laws. I believe we should focus there…

    Unless you have a better solution Vincent?

  7. Vincent Hanna says:

    I don’t think it’s a case of either/or AG. I agree that those are important factors, but I also believe there needs to be a focus on common sense gun laws and strict enforcement of existing gun laws. What we do not need is more guns, like allowing guns in campus buildings and classrooms. I don’t desire a world where everyone is armed to the teeth everywhere they go. That’s not a place I want to live/work/play.

  8. AG says:

    You already don’t know when someone is concealed carrying in places where it’s allowed now. What makes you think you would know on a college campus?

  9. Vincent Hanna says:

    That’s true I don’t, and I’m not crazy about that either. I do not feel safer knowing that people are carrying concealed weapons. Quite the opposite.

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