2019 Mass Shootings: What Wisconsin Is Saying About Guns

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a less than 24-hour period over the weekend, two mass shootings claimed 29 lives. Twenty people were killed Saturday at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart in an attack authorities are investigating as a hate crime against Hispanics. Nine people were killed early Sunday morning in Dayton, Ohio.

In a Monday morning tweet, President Donald Trump said stronger gun background checks should be tied with "desperately needed immigration reform.

Trump has called for stronger gun background checks in the past, however the issue has yet to produce a definitive vote on legislation.

Wisconsin has eight members in the U.S. House of Representatives and two in the U.S. Senate who could potentially vote in favor or against reforms in the coming session.

Wisconsin Patch reached out to each Wisconsin representative to gauge their opinion on the current state of affairs. We requested opinions from each legislator at the same time this week, stating that our intent was to give each the space to share their view and allow readers to see where the commonalities and differences are in each response.

Half of Wisconsin legislators responded: three Republicans and two Democrats wrote back to Patch, outlining their reactions and thoughts on how to move forward. The other five did not return responses.

Senator Ron Johnson, Republican

“I appreciate the president’s comments this morning condemning the violent extremism that led to this weekend’s horrific domestic terror mass shootings. We must remain committed to tenaciously rooting these cancers out of our society.

“For years, we have experienced a coarsening of our culture, and have been witnessing what Senator Patrick Moynihan accurately termed ‘defining deviancy down.’ Although there are no quick fixes guaranteed to prevent future tragedies, I believe there are effective, bipartisan actions that can be taken. For example, multiple commissions formed in the aftermath of school shootings have issued widely agreed upon recommendations that can be applied both in schools and in other public spaces to prevent and mitigate mass violence. We also need to seriously re-evaluate how our society treats mental illness to keep firearms out of the hands of people who pose a danger to themselves and their communities. But the long-term solution lies in renewed faith, strengthened families, and less virtual socialization and more genuine human to human interaction in real communities.”

Senator Tammy Baldwin, Democrat

"Three mass shootings in one week where weapons of war were used to take innocent lives. Now Dayton. The failure of Washington to act is a moral failure when a majority of Americans are demanding action and want to confront gun violence like the public health crisis it is," she wrote. "Five months ago, the House passed bipartisan legislation to expand federal background checks to all gun sales. The American people overwhelmingly support this."

1st District Congress Bryan Steil, Republican

“The evil we saw in Dayton and El Paso must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. In particular, white supremacy and hatred have no place in El Paso or any city in America. More must be done to prevent these tragedies from occurring in the future. I am focused on finding meaningful solutions to bolster law enforcement resources, strengthen school safety, and address the critical issue of mental health. We must work to increase mental health resources, notice the warning signs, and ensure guns do not get in the wrong hands. My colleagues, from both sides of the aisle, must come together to prevent future tragedies.”

2nd District Congress, Mark Pocan, Democrat

No response submitted.

3rd District Congress, Ron Kind, Democrat

No response submitted.

4th District Congress, Gwen Moore, Democrat

“This weekend, dozens of lives were lost in a span of hours. Communities were torn apart. Loved ones were left searching for answers from senseless acts of violence.

Congress can and must act to prevent another tragedy. House Democrats began addressing this epidemic by pushing for commonsense and widely supported gun safety reforms, like stronger background checks to ensure that guns don’t reach the wrong hands. Much to the frustration of myself and my Democratic colleagues, Mitch McConnell continues to block this legislation from even getting a vote on the Senate floor. I know that other commonsense proposals have been introduced in the House that I support, such as a measure to reinstate the assault weapons ban. There is no reason why an average person should have these types of weapons. We have no shortage of proposals to help prevent these tragedies. We know what we must do.

Americans deserve to feel safe throughout their daily lives. Families shouldn’t be afraid to go to movie theaters. Children shouldn’t be afraid to go to school.”

5th District Congress. James Sensenbrenner, Republican

No response submitted.

6th District Congress, Glenn Grothman, Republican

No response submitted.

7th District Congress, Sean Duffy, Republican

No response submitted.

8th District Congress, Mike Gallagher, Republican

“I am heartbroken at the news out of El Paso and Dayton. This is a devastating morning in America, and my prayers are with the victims, their families, and the brave first responders who rushed to confront these disgusting and hateful acts.”

Megan VerHelst, Patch Staff Contributed to this report.