Republican lawmakers who want to see decreased gun violence in Milwaukee are proposing to toughen penalties for gun crimes committed in Wisconsin. Last year in Milwaukee, 125 people died in gun violence. Another 60 have died so far in 2017.
“These thugs, these people who go out on the street time after time and commit these crimes . . . know nothing serious is going to happen to them,” says state Senator Alberta Darling, (R-River Hills.) “It has to stop.”
Darling and state Representative Joe Sanfelippo (R-New Berlin) proposed the creation of a mandatory minimum sentence for habitual criminals who commit a crime involving a firearm, and toughening penalties for “straw purchasers,” and “human holsters,” a
term for individuals who keep firearms for others who are prohibited from having them.
“We created this bill after sigificant discussions with the city of Milwaukee, the Milwaukee police department and the Milwaukee County District Attorneys,” Darling said. “We want the legislature to step in and say ‘we need to act.'”
