MADISON – Democrats announced legislation to amend Wisconsin law to prohibit the concealed carry of firearms on college and university campuses in Wisconsin.
The legislation, which has been introduced in previous sessions and failed to advance, would make it a misdemeanor to possess a gun on campus, making the penalty up to nine months in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. The new stipulations would not apply to law enforcement or military personnel, nor anyone who possesses a gun on campus with permission.
Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, said in a press conference Aug. 27 that the legislation was an answer to universities and colleges across the state asking for help in keeping guns off campuses. Roys is one of the authors of the legislation and is believed to be considering a run for governor in 2026.
“This legislation is a key, foundational effort to making sure that every single Wisconsinite has the freedom to learn, to advance their careers, to deepen their knowledge while they’re in college. Nobody should be living with the fear of gun violence, but certainly not young people on college campuses,” Roys said.
The announcement comes the same day as a shooting at a Minneapolis Catholic school.
Authorities said the shooting occurred during an all-school mass at Annunciation Church, and that the shooter was “contained,” according to USA TODAY. Two children were killed during the shooting and 17 were injured when the gunman opened fire through the windows of a church.
Nessa Bleill, a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the president of Students Demand Action, said guns are a proven threat on campus, and more needs to be done to ensure the safety of students simply trying to learn.
Bleill was a survivor of the Highland Park, Illinois, shooting in 2022, which led her to activism on her own campus.
“Our campuses should be safe places. No one, no student, no faculty member, no community member should ever fear for their life in a space of growth and learning, and yet fear is our current reality,” she said during the press conference.
“I have feared for my life at school since I was five years old, since the first time I performed an active shooter drill and learned how to hide from a gunman in my kindergarten classroom.”
Rep. Brienne Brown, D-Whitewater, said she’s heard from many representatives of UW-Whitewater that they need stricter rules to protect students.
“A majority of students, faculty, university leadership, university police, security, oppose guns on campus,” she said. “We need to listen to the people directly impacted by policies like this, banning concealed carry on college campuses. It’s not a radical idea.”
Earlier this year, two students were killed at UW-Platteville in a shooting described as a targeted murder-suicide.
The bill has been introduced in previous sessions but has not been passed. Republican leaders, who oppose limitations on individual gun rights, are unlikely to advance the measure after it’s introduced.
Roys acknowledged the bill faces an uphill climb in the Legislature, but said that the public is demanding change.
“There are many, many measures and this is not the first, this is not the last, but this is an issue that continues to be top of mind,” she said. “Because you can’t pick up your phone these days without seeing the impact of gun violence on communities.”
Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on X @SchulteLaura.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Democrats move to change state law to ban concealed carry of guns on college campuses
Reporting by Laura Schulte, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
