While Wisconsin has enacted several basic gun safety laws, the state still lacks a number of key policies that would go a long way toward reducing gun violence.
The state processes background checks through state databases for handguns but doesn’t require background checks for private sales. In 2023, Wisconsin had the sixteenth lowest gun death rate among the states. In an average year, 741 people die from gun violence in the state. That means someone dies from gun violence every 12 hours. Sixty-four percent of those deaths are gun suicides, and 33% are gun homicides. In Wisconsin, the rate of gun deaths increased 54% from 2014 to 2023, compared to a 33% increase nationwide.
What Wisconsin Does Well
- Certain domestic violence gun laws
- Certain child access prevention laws
- State database background checks for handguns
- Certain disarming procedures
- Partial handgun dealer regulation
What Wisconsin Is Missing
- Universal background checks
- Gun owner licensing
- Extreme risk protection orders
- Assault weapon restrictions
- Large capacity magazine ban
- Waiting periods
- Strong concealed carry law
- Open carry regulations
SPOTLIGHT
GUN LAW SCORECARD
The data is clear: States with stronger gun laws have less gun violence. See how your state compares in our annual ranking.
Read MoreEXPLORE WISCONSIN’S GUN LAWS
WHO CAN HAVE A GUN
OWNER RESPONSIBILITIES
CHILD & CONSUMER SAFETY
GUNS IN PUBLIC
HARDWARE & AMMUNITION
OTHER LAWS & POLICIES
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We’re in this together. To build a safer America—one where children and parents in every neighborhood can learn, play, work, and worship without fear of gun violence—we need you standing beside us in this fight.
