Wisconsin’s Democratic governor on Tuesday created a new agency focused on gun violence prevention, a month after a shooting school not far from the Capitol and an idea that drew immediate opposition from Republicans, who said it was misleading.
Gov. Tony Evers also called on the Republican-controlled Legislature to pass a series of gun control and public safety measures, saying reducing violence must be a “shared priority that transcends politics.”
The Legislature has already rejected numerous gun control measures proposed by Evers, including universal background checks for gun purchases. But Evers said the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School last month showed that lawmakers must take action.
“Reducing crime and violence should be an issue that receives serious bipartisan support,” Evers said at a news conference surrounded by gun control advocates, Democratic lawmakers and the mayor and police chief of Madison responding to the school shooting of last month.
Republicans weren’t on board.
Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos labeled the proposal “not well thought out” and said it amounts to “a whole group of touchy-feely bureaucrats who will waste time and money and certainly not put the effort where it is deserved.”
“Do you know what the most effective violence prevention agency is? The police,” Vos said at a press conference.
Republican Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu was non-committal, but he emphasized that Republican lawmakers have supported spending on other initiatives to address violence, including the creation of a state school safety agency.
Evers signed an executive order creating a statewide violence prevention agency, a move that does not require legislative approval. He said the office will work with local partners, including law enforcement agencies, nonprofits, school districts and gun store owners, with the goal of reducing gun violence.
Creating the office was discussed prior to the school shooting, but the shooting “cemented” his plans, Evers said.
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes, who leaves next month to become Seattle police chief, called the new anti-violence agency a “transformative approach to understanding and addressing the root causes of violence in our society.”
“No city, regardless of size, reputation or claim to fame, is immune to gun violence,” Barnes said. “We must recognize that to truly protect our neighborhoods, we need a comprehensive understanding of violence that goes beyond traditional policing.”
The agency will work to develop public education campaigns and promote safer communities, Evers said. It will also award grants to reduce violence, especially gun violence, to school districts, firearms dealers, law enforcement agencies, nonprofits and government agencies.
Evers announced $10 million in federal funding to create the office. He said his state budget before the Legislature next month will call for more state money to support the office over the next two years.
Vos said Assembly Republicans would oppose the request.
Evers also said he would propose a sweeping gun violence and public safety package.
Republican majorities in the House shrank after the November election, leading Evers and Democrats to say they hoped for greater bipartisanship and consideration of ideas that have been summarily rejected in the past. But after the Dec. 16 shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, which left a student, a teacher and the 15-year-old shooter dead, Republicans have not expressed support for any Democratic-backed gun control measures.
Polls in Wisconsin repeatedly show strong public support for a variety of gun control measures.
Evers called a special session of the Legislature in 2019 to pass a universal gun background check bill and a “red flag” proposal that would allow judges to take away guns from people determined to be a risk to themselves or others to form. The Republicans immediately adjourned without debating the measures. It was the first of a dozen special sessions Evers has organized since 2019, but none were successful.
Democrats have reintroduced these and more than two dozen other gun safety laws over the past six years, but Republicans have repeatedly refused to adopt them. Instead, Republicans have introduced bills that would expand access to guns and have discussed arming teachers. Evers vetoed Republican bills in 2022 that would have allowed concealed carry permit holders to have firearms in vehicles on school grounds and in churches on private school property.