Gov. Evers wants to expand background checks on guns through budget proposal; Here's what data shows for rejected gun purchases in Wisconsin

President Joe Biden traveled to Monterey Park, California on Tuesday, where a gunman killed 11 people and injured nine others in January, to announce he signed an executive order to increase the number of background checks during gun sales.

The executive order does not call for universal background checks, but a proposal at the state level is being evaluated by lawmakers to expand handgun background checks.

Gov. Tony Evers is proposing in the 2023-'25 biennial budget that all handgun purchases and transfers, "with certain exceptions," require background checks to be done through a federally licensed gun dealer.

With Republicans firmly in control of the Legislature, it's unlikely background checks or any court-mandated gun confiscation program will make the final budget. But with measures being pushed at both the state and federal levels we thought it would be a good time to take a look at how the checks have been working in Wisconsin.

When did background checks start in Wisconsin?

The current Wisconsin law has been in effect since December 1991 and requires that all firearms dealers in the state be licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and conduct a mandatory background check for anyone trying to buy a handgun or a long gun in Wisconsin.

In Wisconsin, gun purchases at gun shows or sold between private citizens do not require a background check by law.

How man gun buys are blocked and for what reasons?

Since September 2013, background checks for handguns have led to 15,712 denials out of more than 1.3 million gun purchases in Wisconsin, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice.

In 2022, nearly 180,000 background checks were done in Wisconsin for people buying handguns, down from nearly 198,000 background checks in 2021, according to data from the DOJ.

And in those two years, with more than 375,000 background checks performed by the state, less than 5,000 purchases were denied.

In 2022 and 2021 combined, the top reason to reject a gun purchase was the unlawful use of drugs, which stopped 1,099 gun purchases. The other top reasons during those two years were being a convicted felon, which stopped 1,004 purchases; convicted of misdemeanor domestic abuse, which stopped 610 purchases; convicted of a crime as a juvenile, which stopped 566 purchases and having a warrant or being a fugitive, which stopped 334 purchases.

What are the arguments for and against background checks?

Democrats and gun control advocates push for “universal background checks,” meaning every gun purchase involves a background check of the buyer.

“A lot of gun owners already buy their guns from gun dealerships anyway, we’re just asking everyone to go through that process,” said Nick Matuszewski, attorney and policy and strategic partnerships associate at the Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort. “This would really make it difficult for people who wouldn’t be able to pass a background check to get their guns, but I can’t see how it would make it more difficult for other people.”

The response from gun rights advocates and Republicans is more along the lines of “enforce the laws on the books.”

"We have crime because the people that aren’t allowed to own guns can and will always be able to get them. Unless you actually get guns out of the hands of more law-abiding citizens. If you make it harder for law-abiding citizens to buy guns, then there will be less guns out there... That would be an honest conversation,” said Nik Clark, chairman and president of Wisconsin Carry.

While the checks block a small percentage of buys, they have denied thousands during the last 10 years

While the rate of gun purchase denials is low, it has still prevented thousands of Wisconsin residents with felony records from getting guns.

Since Sept. 2013 being convicted of misdemeanor domestic abuse has stopped more than 3,000 gun purchases compared to being a convicted drug offender which has stopped roughly 2,800 gun purchases and being a convicted felon, which has stopped slightly more than 2,700 gun purchases.

More:Gov. Tony Evers’ proposed state budget: What's in it? And what is likely to make it through the Legislature?

More:Wisconsin's legislative session: 2 weeks into March, Assembly honors February as Black History Month

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gov. Evers proposes gun background checks expansion in Wisconsin