Wisconsin’s Democrat Attorney General Josh Kaul just announced a $115 million legislative “wish list” that includes, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, an effort to strengthen the Badger State’s gun control laws, including so-called “universal background checks.”
The newspaper reported Kaul’s current opponent in the 2022 election—Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney—labeled the proposed package “a recycled, liberal wish list of ideas which shows he isn’t serious about addressing the violent crime epidemic.”
According to the newspaper, Milwaukee has seen 168 homicides already this year, and there are nearly two months remaining in 2021. In 2020, Journal-Sentinel data says, the city reported a total of 190 murders, so this year’s body count could ultimate surpass last year.
Kaul’s proposal also includes “a wide array of criminal justice programs, including mental health crisis response programs, substance abuse diversion, re-entry opportunities and police officer recruitment and retention,” the Associated Press and WEAU reported.
Why gun control proponents invariably call for “universal background checks” remains a mystery for many in the firearms community. It is widely known criminals don’t bother with background checks when acquiring firearms for nefarious purposes, since they frequently have criminal records that would not allow them to legally purchase guns.
We must take swift, concrete action to reduce crime and strengthen communities. By fighting gun violence and other violent crime, bolstering our efforts to address the opioid epidemic and investing in our communities, we can make all of Wisconsin safer.https://t.co/FEKNO06QGi
— Attorney General Josh Kaul (@WisDOJ) November 1, 2021
Perhaps just as interesting, Kaul says grants for the things in his agenda could be “funded out of a $4.4 billion tax surplus.”
What ever happened to using such a surplus to lower the tax burden on Wisconsin citizens? Instead of spending all of that money on government programs, why not give it back to the taxpayers from whence it came?
Another option, proposed by Toney, would be the hiring of ten more prosecutors and additional agents in the Division of Criminal Investigation, the Journal-Sentinel reported.
The newspaper said “Kaul’s package creates funding for at least six positions in the state Department of Justice focusing on violent crime or officer training, along with additional funding for more toxicology positions at the State Crime Laboratory.”
Crime seems to be on the minds of Wisconsin residents. Last year, according to the state Department of Justice, Wisconsin issued more than 100,000 licenses to carry.
