The Daily Cardinal
By: Charles Brace
Wisconsin citizens are in favor of background checks on all gun sales, according to a poll by an anti-gun violence group.
However, the Wisconsin Rifle and Pistol Association disputes the results.
The poll said 80 percent of Wisconsin voters would support required background checks on all gun sales. The Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort sponsored the poll.
WAVE Executive Director Jeri Bonavia said the poll showed a wide range of voters favored the background checks.
“We just had tremendous support across all of Wisconsin, across all demographics,” Bonavia said.
Seven out of 10 National Rifle Association members support the checks as well, according to the WAVE release. Bonavia said the reason for a lack of action on the issue is because NRA leaders are disconnected from their average members.
“The lobbying organizations take much more extreme stands than typical gun owners or hunters,” Bonavia said.
( read more).

Release of Poll Highlights Comes on the Heels of International Association of Chiefs of Police Groundbreaking Report Also Calling for Background Checks on All Gun Sales

(September 19th, 2007, Milwaukee, WI) – Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Executive Director, Jeri Bonavia, released the following information and statement today in response to the new International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) groundbreaking report: “Taking a Stand: Reducing Gun Violence in Our Communities.”

See the IACP complete report here.

The IACP report calls on local, state and federal lawmakers to enact almost 40 recommendations to reduce gun violence and reverse the nationwide upswing in violent crime. One of the most effective recommendations from IACP was a requirement to conduct criminal background checks prior to all gun sales.

This concurs with a comprehensive, statewide bipartisan poll recently commissioned by Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, which found that there is overwhelming public support for a law that would require background on all gun sales.

The poll was jointly conducted by a right-leaning polling firm, Overbrook Research, and by a left-leaning firm, Lake Research Partners. WAVE is planning a comprehensive release of the poll results in the coming weeks.

Some highlights of the Wisconsin statewide bipartisan poll:

Eight out of ten likely Wisconsin voters support requiring a background check on all gun sales;

85% of Wisconsin residents, including 80% of gun owners, think gun violence is a serious problem;

Seven out of ten NRA supporters or members support background checks on all gun sales.

“This groundbreaking report from our nation’s police chiefs highlights the need to address gun violence with sensible and effective policies,” said Jeri Bonavia. “Specifically, the chiefs of police and the people of Wisconsin agree that conducting background checks on all gun sales is an effective way to reduce gun violence and make our communities safer.”

African-Americans make up only six percent of Wisconsin’s population, but the latest national crime study shows that if you’re black in Wisconsin, you’re nine times more likely than whites or other ethnic groups to be a murder victim. That’s higher than the national ratio, according to the National Crime Victimization Study released this month.

Nationally, the black homicide rate is six times higher than that of whites. While the murder rate has been steadily falling nationwide, the racial disparity of victims has held steady for the past five years. Last year, the number of murders in Wisconsin fell by 20 percent, from 207 to 166, but the national study shows that more than half of the victims were black. Also, 90 percent of black victims were killed by other blacks. Some experts say that’s because black victims are more likely to be attacked by someone armed with a gun.

That’s an issue Jeri Bonavia of the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort says state lawmakers should address by making it harder to purchase illegal guns. She says currently we are making it as easy as possible for felons and other prohibited purchasers to acquire guns and, she says, her group thinks that should change.

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The House Appropriations Committee Vote on Whether to Eliminate Tiahrt restrictions on ATF sharing crime gun trace data has been postponed until after the 4th of July recess.

This is an extremely important vote for us. Since the start of the Bush administration, there have been restrictions on the release of crime gun trace data added to ATF appropriations which makes it difficult for law enforcement to go after illegal guns and gun traffickers. **(For more information see below)

Representative David Obey has not said how he will vote on this issue. Constituent calls to him will be very important in persuading him to vote to oppose these Tiahrt restrictions on crime gun trace data. Could you please call Representative Obey this week and also try to get two or three friends to make similar calls. The other side is very good at calling and we need to match them. Also, the appropriations bills are very complex so we need to point up this provision to members of Congress. Your call will make a real difference. Here’s what you can do to help:

1) Call Representative Obey at 202-225-3365. Calls to Washington are the best but you can also call the district office in Wausau at 715-842-5606.

2) Ask Representative Obey to oppose the Tiahrt restrictions on the release of crime gun tracing information. Let him know that these restrictions have been attached to the Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriation Bill which the Committee will be considering next week and that law enforcement needs access to complete crime gun trace data in order to go after illegal guns and gun traffickers.

Thank you very much for your help with this!

**The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) operates a National Tracing Center which traces guns picked up by law enforcement at crime scenes back to the original manufacturer and eventually to the dealer that sold the gun. When the criminal who used the gun is identified, this information is also stored in the trace database. Thus this database answers questions about guns used in crime, gun dealers who have a high number of guns traced to crime, guns used in certain cities and states and by certain age groups. In fact, this information was compiled and released by ATF in its annual Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative (YCGII) prior to the Tiahrt restrictions. On the ATF WEB site under Firearms, Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiatives (YCGII) it states, “The information contained in these reports demonstrate ATF’s commitment to the YCGII program, and to the protection of our citizens. The enforcement approach embodied in YCGII provides each community the opportunity and ability to customize their efforts to address their own gun problems, trends, sources, and investigations.”

Law enforcement previously used this data to look for patterns of gun trafficking. Researchers as well as legislators used it to evaluate certain gun policies. The public used it to advocate for changes in policy. Despite what the opposition says, on-going enforcement cases were not compromised by the release of aggregate data to the public.

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Meet Pete Karas, WAVE Educational Fund’s new Board President; learn about Common Sense Solutions to gun violence and how you can help, and more, in WAVE’s Spring 2007 Newsletter.

Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort Executive Director, Jeri Bonavia, released the following statement on Tuesday, April 17, in response to the shooting massacre at Virginia Tech that killed 33 people, including the shooter, and wounded dozens more.

“Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and everyone at Virginia Tech. We are distressed and deeply saddened by this senseless tragedy. Our commitment to prevent the incomprehensible pain caused by gun violence has never been stronger. As the news unfolded, we found this quote by a Virginia Tech Student to be particularly heart wrenching:”

‘I thought of my mom…and if something were to happen to me how she would deal with it and that’s all I could think about,’ said Trey Perkins, a student from Virginia Tech, who was in one of the classrooms that was attacked by the gunman.

“We will be observing a moment of silence, along with Freedom States Alliance on Friday, April 20th at noon EST and hope that everyone in Wisconsin will join us,” added Bonavia.

The moment of silence for the Virginia Tech victims will take place on the same day as the 8th anniversary of the Columbine school shooting that killed 12 students and a teacher, as well the two shooters.

“Right now, as the pain and horror of this tragedy are still fresh, we hope all Americans find time to reflect on our shared purpose and our shared responsibility to each other, to find compassion for those who are suffering, and to commit ourselves to ending injustice and all forms of violence. Anyone interested in making a commitment to observing the moment of silence may do so by signing up at http://www.freedomstatesalliance.com/momentofsilence.”

Imagine that airports offered two security options. One required passengers to show proof of identification, undergo x-ray screening, and have their luggage searched, and the second required no screening, no identification, no searching—nothing. Now imagine that, before boarding the very same plane, passengers were allowed to choose which option they preferred. Believing that such a security system would have any chance of preventing terrorists from boarding an aircraft would be foolish and illogical. Especially since September 11, 2001, the risks associated with an optional screening system are just too high for Americans to tolerate.

Like most people who board airliners, most individuals who seek to buy firearms are law abiding. Unfortunately, some are not. Therefore, for the sake of security, all gun purchasers are screened, and high-risk individuals are prohibited from purchasing a firearm. At least that’s what should happen. What really happens is that gun purchasers choose whether to be screened or not. They can buy a gun from a federally licensed firearm dealer, in which case they show identification and undergo a criminal background check, or they can choose to avoid the security screening by purchasing from a private seller, in which case the sale proceeds anonymously, with no background check, no identification, no questions asked.

Not surprisingly, there is a well-documented and undeniable connection between the unregulated gun market and criminal activity. Felons and others prohibited from purchasing a gun relish and, in fact, depend on the unregulated segment of the gun market. The rest of us suffer the chilling consequences of having an optional security system for gun purchases. Since 2001, approximately 150,000 American men, women and children have been killed with guns.

The double standard that exists for gun sales by licensed gun dealers versus those by unlicensed sellers is just as irrational and dangerous as optional screening at an airport would be. Purchasing a gun with no background check and no questions asked should simply no longer be an option.

Read more about and learn how this common sense solution can help reduce gun violence in our state.
Click here to download now.

Racine Alderman Pete Karas is the new President of the Board of Directors at WAVE. He says both in Racine and statewide, we lose too many of our young people to a senseless death or life-long disability due to firearms.

Listen to Racine Alderman Pete Karas talk Wisconsin Radio Network news reporter Jackie Johnson about the problem of gun violence in Wisconsin.

Listen to Wave Executuve Director, Jeri Bonavia, in an interview with Shawn Johnson, broadcast on Wisconsin Public Radio on December 28, 2006.

Badger State is One of Two Remaining Holdouts Barring Hidden Firearms
By Shawn Johnson
Wednesday, December 27, 2006

(UNDATED) Starting next week, Wisconsin will be one of only two states that prohibit people from carrying concealed weapons.

Once Kansas and Nebraska residents begin applying for concealed-carry permits, it will leave Wisconsin and Illinois as country’s only holdouts. This puts Wisconsin under more of a spotlight as far as gun rights groups are concerned. Joe Waldron directs the national gun group known as the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms. He says that as more states jump onboard with concealed carry, the argument against it becomes less convincing. He says predictions are continually heard of “blood in the gutters,” shootouts and the “typical chicken little approach,” but he says it has not come to pass.

But if anything, the results of the last election make it less likely a concealed carry law will pass here. Democratic Governor Jim Doyle won reelection; he’s twice vetoed concealed-carry legislation. Also, Democrats took control of the state Senate.

Jeri Bonavia directs the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort known as WAVE. She’s spent most of her time lobbying against concealed-carry legislation the last several years, but she hopes that the new makeup of the Legislature will give her a chance to push her own agenda. She says she thinks there are people who are very open to working on policies that will in fact help prevent gun violence, and as long as they can be shown evidence from other states that these types of policies make a difference, she hopes they will be open to these ideas. For example, Bonavia favors requiring criminal background checks for all gun purchases.

Any gun bills will have to win the favor of both political parties under the new power structure in Madison. Lawmakers officially begin the next session Wednesday.

http://www.wpr.org/news/newsstories.cfm