Last week, a Wisconsin Senate committee passed a bill that would eliminate the 48-hour waiting period that is currently required to purchase a handgun. This bill will now be presented to the rest of the Wisconsin Senate and will most likely be passed again as the majority of senators are Republican and support the new measure.
Since the state Assembly and the governorship are controlled by members of the Republican Party, it is also likely this bill will be enacted into law. This would be bad for the state of Wisconsin and make it arguably the most lenient state in regard to firearms. What has been most upsetting is that there has been little outcry to dismantle Wisconsin’s gun laws in recent years and the few arguments made in support of the new bill are shaky at best.
Wisconsin is already one of the easiest states in America to buy a firearm. There is no waiting period needed to buy rifles and only a 48-hour waiting period on handguns, no permit is necessary to buy a gun, open carry is legal and concealed carry is legal for handguns if a permit has been obtained. By nearly any measure, members of the gun culture have it pretty good in Wisconsin.
There is little to no regulation regarding these items considering that they are deadly weapons. Now one of the few remaining gun laws is going to be removed simply because Republican lawmakers say the waiting period is “inconvenient.”
The only two arguments that have been used to justify this bill so far is that the 48-hour waiting period is no longer necessary because computers can be used to perform background checks much faster and because, by removing the waiting period, “good guys” will be able to get handguns much faster. Both of these arguments are, of course, completely ludicrous. Both good and bad people are going to buy guns regardless of how long they have to wait to purchase one.
The 48-hour waiting period gives people who are in an agitated or inebriated state of mind time to rethink their reason for purchasing a firearm. It is entirely possible that if this legislation passes, domestic shootings could increase and senseless acts of violence involving handguns could increase as well.
It should be noted that the few laws that do exist regarding gun control only apply to licensed dealers. Wisconsin’s regulations are even less strict when it comes to private citizens wanting to sell a weapon. Any person who owns a gun can sell it to another for any price without any form of paperwork required. This can be done either privately in someone’s home or at a gun convention. This means an individual can walk into what is essentially a swap meet for guns, buy five of them and fill out zero documentation showing that they are in possession of them. This is how bad people get guns.
While it may be the grand fear for many members of the gun culture to be placed on some list documenting their ownership of firearms, such a list would be tremendously helpful in preventing felons or minors from procuring guns. A list of this nature would allow officials to be able to better determine where guns are coming from and how they are being distributed.
In all likelihood, this legislation is going to pass into law due to the Republican majority in Wisconsin’s government. However, if individuals actively express their feelings to their representatives, it is possible to convince lawmakers not to enact this legislation.
