After a shooting at a concert in Las Vegas Sunday night left nearly 60 dead and over 500 injured, state legislators from Madison teamed up to introduce legislation regarding gun violence and held a press conference to discuss specific gun safety policy steps.
At the press conference, State Reps. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, Melissa Sargent, D-Madison, and Terese Berceau, D-Madison, called on state and national elected officials to address gun violence across the United States. They also announced specific legislation, LRB-4451, condemning the shooting.
The resolution calls on the Legislature to address gun violence by taking up two other bills introduced by Taylor and Berceau.
One of those bills requires universal background checks for all firearm purchases in Wisconsin while the other would mandate a 48-hour waiting period for new handgun purchases.
Taylor represents most of the UW-Madison campus area including east and south of Campus, while Berceau represents parts of the UW-Madison campus.
The Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, a group that fights gun violence in the state, put out a statement commending Taylor, Berceau, Sargent and other Democrats for taking a stand regarding gun safety.
“Thank you Reps. Taylor, Anderson, Berceau, Sargent, and Zamarripa and all who stood with us today to demand action on background checks and reinstating the 48-hour waiting period,” WAVE said in a statement. “We send #LovetoLasVegas by taking action in their honor. We CAN save lives.”
At the press conference, Taylor implored colleagues to take action in response to the shooting, rather than simply offering thoughts and prayers.
“We lost 59 lives in Las Vegas, we lose another 59 everyday to gun related suicide, and a total 90 lives daily to gun violence. Not to mention, the 50 women a month we lose to domestic abuse gun violence,” Taylor said. “The numbers do not lie. We need to act."
