State residents may face increased background checks when purchasing firearms if a bill that passed the state Senate Tuesday makes it through the Legislature.
The bill requires the Wisconsin Department of Justice to provide mental health information to the federal government that may render individuals ineligible for purchase or possession of a firearm.
The information would be provided only for use in background checks.
""It's providing that nexus so that information is provided from our Consolidated Court Automation Programs system to that federal background check,"" Michael Bruhn, spokesperson for state Rep. Scott Gunderson, R-Waterford, said.
The Senate bill complies with current federal law—the federal government instituted a national regulation on gun ownership after the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings—and requires the DOJ to conduct background checks that follow federal regulations regarding mental illness and gun ownership.
Individuals who are checked will have either been committed to a mental health institution involuntarily or ruled mentally defective by a court.
Bruhn said the law would not significantly affect people who were already deemed ineligible to possess or own a firearm.
""We're not taking away any rights,"" Bruhn said. ""These people already shouldn't be purchasing or possessing a firearm under federal law.""
The bill was first proposed during the previous legislative session and now moves to the state Assembly. Bruhn said if the legislation does not pass, the state is likely to lose a portion of the yearly federal crime prevention grant.
