[media-credit name=’JEFF SCHORFHEIDE/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]

Maroon, orange and tears were abundant Wednesday at the
state Capitol during a tribute to the victims marking the one-year anniversary
of the Virginia Tech massacre.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort, the
ceremony started with comments to the nearly 50 attendees about gun violence
prevention from Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, University of Wisconsin Chief of Police
Sue Riseling and WAVE members.

The comments were followed by a “lie-in” where 32 people
dressed in Virginia Tech orange and black lay down one-by-one to demonstrate
the number of lives taken in last year’s shooting.

“As the mayor of a college town, I’m here to say that we
will not have a truly safe society until we have meaningful, strong
restrictions on handguns and assault weapons everywhere in America,” said
Cieslewicz. “It’s time to take real action.”

Cieslewicz emphasized the difference between sport guns and
assault weapons, adding he himself is a turkey hunter.

According to WAVE Director Jeri Bonavia, Wisconsin residents
can take action to prevent gun violence by promoting gun safety education and
supporting gun violence prevention legislation.

Riseling stressed that some people, like the Virginia Tech
killer, should never have had access to weapons or ammunition.

“Like some others in our country, he was not capable of
rational thought in resolving his perceived wrongs,” Riseling said. “He
believed only that his option was to strike out, to lash out against people he
didn’t know.”

Bills to microstamp all guns and require a criminal
background check for all gun sales were introduced to Legislature this year,
but died with the end of the session.

Bonavia said she hopes the bills will pick up next session,
although gun control tends to be a controversial topic in Legislature.

“I’d like to emphasize that it’s not gun owners standing in
the way of smart solutions,” Bonavia said. “The problem is a small but vocal
group of extremists who are fighting for solutions that are fear-based and not
evidence-based.”

Bonavia’s daughter Jenna, a UW freshman, spoke about the
recent formation of a new student organization to advocate students and
teachers being able to carry concealed guns around campus.

Jenna Bonavia added she thought the idea of a student
“packing heat” in lecture was terrifying, and she will consider starting a
branch of WAVE at UW to counter Students for Concealed Carry’s influence.

However, SCC campus leader Bret Bostwick said it was
important to differentiate between feeling safe and being safe on campus.

“One important thing we learned from the Virginia Tech
massacre is that a sign that says ‘Gun Free Zone’ only applies to law-abiding
citizens,” Bostwick said in a phone interview.

It is currently illegal for Wisconsin residents, with the
exception of police officers and sheriff deputies, to carry a concealed weapon.

Cieslewicz said he was proud to be one of the mayors
fighting the easy accessibility of guns in the U.S.

“The way to fight violence
in the world is not through more violence, retribution or anger,” Cieslewicz
said. “The way to end violence is the opposite; to increase the supply of
kindness in the world.”