A state Senate committee heard public testimony Wednesday on a proposed bill to eliminate the 48-hour waiting period for handgun purchases in the state.
Wisconsin is one of only eight states that requires background checks to be followed by a 48-hour waiting period before the purchaser can possess the new handgun. Purchases of long guns, like shotguns and rifles, do not currently require any waiting period after a background check approval.
Opponents of the bill lauded the state’s 1976 law which requires a 48-hour wait as a crucial “cooling off” period to prevent impulsive acts of violence.
State Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, condemned the bill for “making the process quicker without addressing gun violence,” while speaking at the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Public Safety hearing.
Co-author of the bill and former police officer state Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, belittled the 48-hour law as an antiquated remnant of a time when background checks were not instantaneous. He said databases can now check for arrests, mental health record and restraining orders in an average of four hours. He compared the extra wait to a burdensome time tax.
“There is no correlation between waiting periods and a reduction in homicide and suicide rates,” Wanggaard said, echoing statements made by the National Rifle Association.
State Rep. Mary Czaja, R-Irma, also a co-author of the bill, touted the elimination of the waiting period as a way to empower women experiencing domestic abuse.
“Allow women an avenue of self defense without a time tax,” Czaja said.
