Criminals caught with guns or who serve as a straw buyer could face tougher penalties in Wisconsin.
State Senator LaTonya Johnson (D-Milwaukee) is a co-sponsor of a bill that would make it a felony buy a gun for someone who can’t legally have one or to give a firearm to someone who is banned from possessing one. “We’re just trying to make sure that individuals who shouldn’t possess a gun don’t have the opportunity to get their hands on a gun,” she says.
The bill would also make it a felony for someone to have a gun if they have had three misdemeanor convictions within a five-year span.
Johnson says the legislation is aimed at trying to reduce the escalation of crime in cities such as Milwaukee, where 81 percent of the 154 murders in the city last year were the result of gun violence. “We want to make our streets safer, we want to make Milwaukee an excellent place to live, and we want other people to enjoy the city without fear of gun violence.”
Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) is also a sponsor of the bill.