Criminal Background Checks

Currently, prospective gun purchasers are required to show identification and undergo a criminal background check only when purchasing a gun from a licensed firearm dealer. Unlicensed dealers and individuals sell approximately half of all guns in Wisconsin.

WAVE favors legislation that would extend the current background check system to all gun transactions.

View our growing coalition of partners who support background checks on all gun sales

Updates and Events

Gun Homicides Increased 25 Percent After Missouri Repealed Background Check Law

Think Progress
By Zack Beauchamp, Feb 13
New research suggests that...

Paul Ryan Backs Expanding Gun Background Checks

Representative Paul Ryan, one of the highest profile members of the GOP, just spoke out in support of a gun reform that Wisconsin needs: criminal background checks for all gun sales.

Calling it an “obvious” problem that criminals can...

White House weighs broad gun-control agenda in wake of Newtown shootings

Washington Post, By Philip Rucker
The White House is...

Research

The Case for Gun Policy Reforms in America

A report from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, The Case for Gun...

Point, Click, Fire

An investigation of online private gun sales found that 62% of sellers were willing to sell guns to people who said they couldn’t pass a criminal background check....

A new survey confirms what we have long been saying: the NRA doesn’t represent the views of its members.

A survey conducted by Frank Luntz shows that 86% of gun owners feel we can do more to stop criminals from getting guns while also protecting the rights of citizens to freely own them, 85% support...