By Kimberly Wethal
The Wisconsin State Journal
MADISON, Wis. — Carrying a concealed weapon would be illegal at public and private universities and colleges under a Democratic bill introduced Wednesday.
The legislation, proposed by Sen. Kelda Roys, D- Madison, and Rep. Brienne Brown, D- Whitewater, would extend the same protections that apply to public and private K-12 schools by prohibiting both open and concealed carry guns, with exceptions for law enforcement and campus-sanctioned activities.
“Nobody should be living with the fear of gun violence, but certainly not young people on college campuses across the state,” Roys said in announcing the legislation. “In terms of our drafting, it’s quite simple: Wisconsin already has gun-free school zones across the state, and this bill simply applies those protections to college campuses.”
Currently, colleges and universities are allowed to post signs prohibiting concealed carry weapons on their campuses, punishable by a citation for trespassing — which is a forfeiture, not a crime — and up to a $1,000 fine. People with legal concealed carry permits are exempt from the rules.
Instead, the bill would make carrying a concealed weapon a class A misdemeanor, with offenders subject to up to nine months in jail, a $10,000 fine, or both.
Wisconsin is one of 11 states that allow some form of carrying weapons on college campuses. Eighteen states prohibit it, and the remaining 21 give discretion to each campus.
Brown, whose district includes UW-Whitewater, said she’s heard from students, faculty and campus police asking for a concealed carry ban on campuses.
“Banning concealed carry on college campuses is not a radical idea,” Brown said. “Republicans and Democrats have agreed on this all over the country.”
A Universities of Wisconsin spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
UW-Platteville deaths being investigated as murder-suicide
Final exams have been canceled for the remainder of the week, and counseling resources are available to the university community
The bill comes three months after a murder-suicide at a UW-Platteville residence hall, where 22-year-old Hallie Helms , who had a legal concealed carry permit, killed her resident assistant, 22-year-old Kelsie Martin , as the latter was checking on her in her dorm room on May 19.
Helms had stopped attending classes weeks before the end of the semester and had been denied a recommendation for a teaching permit after performing poorly as a student teacher the semester before, according to a report released by UW-Platteville this week.
The bill is unlikely to pass the Assembly or the Senate , given the Republican majorities in both chambers. Spokespeople for Assembly Speaker Rep. Robin Vos, R- Rochester, or Senate Majority Leader Sen. Devin LeMahieu, R- Oostburg , did not respond to a request for comment.
Democrats proposed numerous gun safety measures earlier this summer, including implementing universal background checks and 48-hour waiting periods for gun purchases. Those bills are also unlikely to pass the Legislature.
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