Evers finding no traction for gun control changes

Gov. Tony Evers' push for gun control changes in Wisconsin came to a head in the November 2019 do-nothing special session, but it's hardly a new point of emphasis for the Democratic leader.

Evers said on the 2018 campaign trail he supports universal background checks, regulating certain firepower that allows rapid firing and other protections.

But the Republican Legislature has blocked all attempts to address the subject.

Evers' recent gun control efforts focused on two proposals:

Red flag laws — These allow judges to temporarily remove firearms from people acting dangerously. They are also referred to as Emergency Risk Protection Orders.

Universal background checks — These measures require background checks for sales by private parties, in addition to gun dealers, which are already required by federal law.''

Evers called the Legislature into a special session on gun control Nov. 7, 2019, but leaders of the Assembly and Senate each took less than a minute to shut down the session without debate or votes on either proposal. Evers has said he may call another special session.

So Evers has tried to address background checks as promised, but without success. He has not introduced any proposal on the other specifics mentioned before his election. And the first of his two budgets this term also did not address any of the gun control promises.

Evers still has time to address this with three years remaining in his term, but for now we rate this promise Stalled.