How to End School Shootings

Notes from the ground in Wisconsin

I’m making this post free because we have an urgent gun violence problem in this country and I encourage you to share with as many people as possible. Something has to change. I’m working to cultivate a network of freelancers on the ground just like Kate to constantly be able to give you this kind of quick analysis. If you want to support the work please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

This post comes from Kate Duffy, a mom and political activist in Wisconsin who runs Motherhood for Good.

"Stop asking why schools don't have bulletproof glass and metal detectors at all the doors. Ask why schools have to. That's the question that needs to be asked”

-Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes

Yesterday, a community in my home state was the latest to deal with the unfathomable yet predictable and preventable tragedy of a school mass shooting.

15-year-old, Natalie Rupnow, a student at Abundant Life Christian, a K-12 school in Madison, was able to access a handgun and opened fire in a study hall, killing two others (a teacher and a teen student) and injuring several more before taking her own life.

Photo credit: Morry Gash | Credit: AP

Families will now have to spend the holidays without their loved ones. Hundreds more will have to get through a once-joyous time while carrying a new and unconscionable amount of grief and trauma, trying to explain to their kids why and how someone could do this. With arms wrapped firmly around their little bodies, parents will do their best to answer unending questions from their children about how and why this happened and when the inevitable, “But you’ll never let this happen to me, right?” comes out of their mouths, they will blink back tears, squeeze harder, and lie. “Of course not, sweetie.”

More than 31,000 K-12 students have experienced a school shooting this year. There have been 426 school shootings since 1999.

Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin have repeatedly blocked efforts to protect the families of this state with common-sense, evidence-backed safety solutions. We currently do not have:

• Universal background checks

• Gun owner licensing

• Extreme risk protection orders (Red Flag laws)

• Restrictions on assault weapons

• A ban on large capacity magazines

• Waiting periods

• Open carry regulations

Wisconsin law only punishes adults for the “reckless storage” of a firearm when it is within reach of a child under the age of 14. According to social media posts, the shooter may have been given this gun as a gift for her 14th birthday.

In May of 2023, Governor Evers proposed a series of gun safety solutions for the 2023-2025 biennial budget aimed at preventing tragedies like this, including:

• Expanding universal background checks to cover non-licensed sellers

• Creating a process law enforcement officers or family members to file a petition preventing a person considered to be a threat to themselves or others from possessing a gun (commonly referred to as ‘Red Flag’ laws or ‘ERPO’)

• Tax exemptions for gun locks and safes

• Grants for suicide and violence prevention

• Mental health services in schools

• Continued funding for the Office of School Safety which operates a 24/7 tip line called Speak Up, Speak Out

Republicans removed all of the above except mental health services in schools, which was funded at a level much lower than requested. The state’s 24/7 school safety tip line which operates under the DOJ and was created in 2018 after the Parkland Shooting, was also cut despite receiving thousands of tips, more than 100 of which were related to planned school attacks. The program is still operating through the end of this year with gap funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

A month later, Democratic state legislators introduced a package of bills to try and get common-sense gun safety solutions passed as legislation: Expanded background checks, an extreme risk protection order measure, and tax incentives for gun shops to recommend safe storage solutions. These are things that many citizens truly want. According to the Marquette Law School Poll, 80% of Wisconsin voters support universal background checks and 85% support red flag laws.

There were press conferences, news articles, and awareness campaigns. We created content around them and got people to contact their reps to support them. I attended a large day of action put on by local public safety groups at the capitol to meet with lawmakers.

The bills didn’t go anywhere. State Republicans refused to discuss them. Instead, they introduced bills to increase access to firearms, including measures to reduce the age for getting a concealed-carry license from 21 to 18, allowing legal gun owners to drive on school property with guns in their cars, and recognizing concealed-carry licenses from any other state.

Here’s where the hope comes in.

While all this was happening, reasonable people in Wisconsin worked their asses off to elect Janet Protasiewicz and flip the balance of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. As a result of that, the Court threw out the old legislative district maps considered by many to be the most badly gerrymandered maps in the entire country. And as a result of that, Wisconsin picked up 14 democratic seats in the state legislature in November.

As we move into a new year and a new state legislative session, we will be working with a governing body that more closely resembles the people that live here. Because we were able to significantly chip away at Republicans’ majority in both chambers, we simultaneously chipped away at their power. It is also a budget year, so we will be able to advocate for investing in proven programs such as The Office of School Safety and mental health resources in schools.

The ceiling of the Governor’s Conference Room in the Wisconsin State Capitol

When the session starts again in January with a new balance of lawmakers, we expect bipartisan conversation and solutions to be a top priority among those elected to protect the people of Wisconsin. This will be a new opportunity to move forward together, find common ground rooted in common sense, and execute actual change.

If we don’t want mere thoughts and prayers we need to build the infrastructure for change. That means fighting to elect people who will pass gun sense laws, fix gerrymandering and more. I’ve learned that you don’t need an invitation or a special certificate to become an advocate - you just need to show up. Right now a lot of us are showing up and it is starting to make a difference.

Here’s what you can do right now in your state:

• BE LOUD. Contact your U.S. Senators and federal representatives so they’re flooded with calls.

  • “Hi my name is _____ and I'm a constituent. I’m horrified by the most recent school shooting and you should be too. I’m urging you to not only work to support common-sense solutions that will protect our communities from gun violence but to also do everything you can to make sure the Office of Gun Violence Prevention is not dismantled when the new administration takes over in January.”

• Reach out to your State legislators and legislators-elect.

  • Even though the newly elected can’t take action until after inauguration on Jan. 6, they need to hear from you to understand what is important to the people they represent. There are newly elected Republicans that represent damn near 50-50 districts so don’t discount the importance of your voice. (you can post on their social media if you can’t find contact information.)

• Get involved locally:

  • Click on your state here at Everytown to see the latest news, priorities, and gun violence statistics.

  • Consider joining a local Moms Demand Action chapter

  • If you’re in Wisconsin support and sign up for updates from WAVE (Wisconsin Anti-Violence Effort)

  • Follow Motherhood for Good for continued updates and prompts for action on related legislation and the new state budget

    • Follow us on Instagram and share with family and friends

    • Sign up for our newsletter

• If you keep a gun in your home, make sure it’s stored safely. If you have a child, ask about guns before playdates over someone elses house. (you can find resources here.)

• Check in on your community. Family, friends, teachers. It’s already a difficult time of year for so many and this adds another devastating layer.

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If you are looking for more information on Federal gun laws, you can find that in a substack Emily wrote in May of this year, available here.