Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order Jan. 14 creating the Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention. The order was signed in response to a mass shooting at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison this past December, where a student and a teacher were killed and six others were injured.
Evers signed the executive order amidst the plague of gun violence that has worsened in Wisconsin and across the country in recent years. The rate of firearm deaths from 2014 to 2023 has increased by 34% nationally and 54% in Wisconsin, according to Wisconsin Examiner. Mass shootings have also become a major problem in the U.S., with 515 taking place in 2024 alone, according to CNN.
Evers plans to direct $10 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to create the office, which will distribute grants to firearm dealers, law enforcement agencies, nonprofits, school districts and government agencies to help support violence and gun violence prevention efforts, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. The grants can be used for but are not limited to covering and implementing suicide prevention education, supporting law enforcement investigations, promoting and administering safe storage and gun buyback programs and using crime gun intelligence tools, according to Wisconsin Examiner.
The creation of the office has seen pushback from prominent members of the Wisconsin legislature. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Racine, wants to instead increase funding for the police and public safety services instead of investing in another government agency, according to CBS News. Other Republican lawmakers pointed to a similar effort in the city of Milwaukee that failed.
Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, saw the failure of Milwaukee’s Office of Violence Prevention and consequently believes replicating such an office at an even higher level would become another failure, according to Wisconsin Examiner.
In context, however, it is important to note that the head of the Milwaukee office, Ashanti Hamilton resigned to take a new position in the private sector, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Additionally, this “failure,” which Wanggaard cited, may have been mischaracterized, because while Hamilton was the director of the office, the rates of homicides and other gun violence dipped in Milwaukee, according to the Journal Sentinel.
Republican lawmakers have a track record of going against gun control legislation in Wisconsin and have frequently gone toe-to-toe with Evers over it. In November of 2019, Evers called a special session to debate and discuss gun laws in Wisconsin and when Republicans arrived, they adjourned it immediately, without debate or any votes taking place, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
While some politicians have voiced their concerns and anger about Evers’ executive order, others have expressed their support and their hope for the future. Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley expressed significant support for the new office and was excited that Evers was working to make gun violence prevention a statewide priority, according to the Wisconsin Examiner.
Evers’ efforts to create more legislation addressing the issue of firearms and violence go beyond just the creation of the Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention. He also previously stated that, as part of the 2025 budget, he will develop a gun safety reform and violence prevention package, according to the Wisconsin Examiner.
Gun control and gun safety should not be controversial topics regarding the way they are treated in the U.S. In 2019 alone, 37,040 people in the U.S. died from firearms, making up 14.85% of all firearm deaths in the world that year, according to the World Population Review.
It is glaringly obvious that change is needed in this country and regardless of where one stands politically, they must be able to identify that gun violence is an issue that needs to be addressed. People may disagree on what exact solutions are needed and the steps to get there, but we can no longer sit idly by while tens of thousands of Americans die every year.
Many citizens and politicians do not see eye-to-eye in terms of the reforms and legislation that are needed to help curtail the issue of gun violence within the U.S., but we can no longer do nothing. By no means will Ever’s creation of this new office solve the U.S.’ and Wisconsin’s gun violence issue completely, but it is a step in the right direction and small steps forward are better than standing still.
