RACINE — State Sen. Van Wanggaard wants to get rid of the state’s 48-hour waiting period to buy handguns, a law supporters say gives people in emotional distress a needed cooling-off period.
Wanggaard, R-Racine, said the original intent of the waiting period was to give gun dealers enough time to complete a background check. Now that information is digitized and background checks can be done nearly instantly, a 48-hour waiting period amounts to a “time tax,” he said.
Handgun purchasers would still have to pass a background check to prove they can legally have a gun.
“An individual that is able to lawfully possess a firearm, they’re restricted — why?” Wanggaard said. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Simpson said NAMI isn’t necessarily opposed to the bill, but feels waiting periods can help tamp down impulsive behavior.
A suicidal person, for example, may be able to pass a background check and get a handgun. But if they had to wait a few days, they would have time to rethink or have a chance for an intervention, Simpson said.
“If I could pass a background check and get a gun immediately, I’m more likely to make that suicide attempt than if I had to wait three days to get a weapon,” she said.
A waiting period is also helpful for people struggling through a cycle of domestic violence, said Laura Cutilletta, senior staff attorney for the California-based Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
“If you introduce a waiting period into that cycle,” Cutilletta said, “you may save somebody’s life.”
Wanggaard doesn’t buy the argument that waiting periods help prevent violence. He asked rhetorically if the state should put waiting periods on buying baseball bats, razor blades, steak knives or other items that can be used to cause harm.
“If somebody has the thought of doing something, they’re going to use whatever is at their fingertips at the time they make that decision,” he said.
Wanggaard, a former police officer, said it used to take several days of digging through records to determine if someone could legally possess a firearm. Even then, the checks weren’t as thorough as they are now, he said.
He added that dealers still have a responsibility to ensure guns stay out of the hands of people who can’t legally possess them — like people with a felony conviction or some suffering from mental illness.
“If a dealership feels there is any issue, they just won’t allow the individual to purchase,” Wanggaard said.
The Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety has scheduled a public hearing on the bill at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the state Capitol.
Wanggaard, R-Racine, said the original intent of the waiting period was to give gun dealers enough time to complete a background check. Now that information is digitized and background checks can be done nearly instantly, a 48-hour waiting period amounts to a “time tax,” he said.
Handgun purchasers would still have to pass a background check to prove they can legally have a gun.
“An individual that is able to lawfully possess a firearm, they’re restricted — why?” Wanggaard said. “It doesn’t make any sense.”
Cooling-off periods
It makes sense to some — like Luann Simpson, program director at the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Racine County.Simpson said NAMI isn’t necessarily opposed to the bill, but feels waiting periods can help tamp down impulsive behavior.
A suicidal person, for example, may be able to pass a background check and get a handgun. But if they had to wait a few days, they would have time to rethink or have a chance for an intervention, Simpson said.
“If I could pass a background check and get a gun immediately, I’m more likely to make that suicide attempt than if I had to wait three days to get a weapon,” she said.
A waiting period is also helpful for people struggling through a cycle of domestic violence, said Laura Cutilletta, senior staff attorney for the California-based Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
“If you introduce a waiting period into that cycle,” Cutilletta said, “you may save somebody’s life.”
Wanggaard doesn’t buy the argument that waiting periods help prevent violence. He asked rhetorically if the state should put waiting periods on buying baseball bats, razor blades, steak knives or other items that can be used to cause harm.
“If somebody has the thought of doing something, they’re going to use whatever is at their fingertips at the time they make that decision,” he said.
Dealers can still refuse
Ten states and the District of Columbia have laws requiring a waiting period to buy guns, according to Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The organization did not have statistics comparing states with waiting-period laws to those without them.Wanggaard, a former police officer, said it used to take several days of digging through records to determine if someone could legally possess a firearm. Even then, the checks weren’t as thorough as they are now, he said.
He added that dealers still have a responsibility to ensure guns stay out of the hands of people who can’t legally possess them — like people with a felony conviction or some suffering from mental illness.
“If a dealership feels there is any issue, they just won’t allow the individual to purchase,” Wanggaard said.
The Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety has scheduled a public hearing on the bill at 10:30 a.m. Thursday at the state Capitol.
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