The following is Gov. Tony Evers’ radio address on his call for the Legislature to meet in a special session to address gun safety reform in the state of Wisconsin.
Hey there, Wisconsinites. This Governor Tony Evers, and today I’m asking for your help.
Earlier this week, I signed an executive order delivering on my promise to call for a special session on gun safety reform.
And I called on Republicans and Democrats to work together on two pieces of legislation that 80% of Wisconsinites— and a majority of gun owners—support.
The first bill requires universal background checks for all firearm purchases so that no matter where a person is buying a firearm or who they’re buying it from, the process is the same for everyone.
And the second bill creates an extreme risk protection order process in Wisconsin, allowing loved ones and law enforcement to petition to remove guns from individuals who have been found by a judge to be a danger to themselves or others.
Now, I want to be clear: I support the 2nd Amendment, and that’s why I support these bills.
The 2nd Amendment isn’t going away—these are commonsense proposals that we know can save lives and that we know 80% of Wisconsinites support. It’s that simple.
But folks, this is where I need your help.
Members of the Legislature shouldn’t be able to ignore 80% of the people of our state, and folks like you should have the chance to hold them accountable if they do.
Universal background checks and extreme risk protection orders are things we should all be able to agree on.
So, that’s why I’m asking you to please contact your legislators between now and November 7th and ask them to do their job, give these bills a vote, and let their vote speak for itself.
I’ve said all along that the will of the people is the law of the land.
It’s time for members of the Legislature to start listening to the people of our state and get to work on addressing gun violence in Wisconsin.
Thanks for listening, and I hope I can count on you to help. Let’s get to work.
