IMMEDIATE ADOPTION
Number
240399
Version
ORIGINAL
Reference
Sponsor
COMMON COUNCIL
Title
Resolution expressing the City of Milwaukee’s support for both state and federal legislation banning bump stocks.
Analysis
This resolution expresses the City of Milwaukee’s support for state and federal legislation banning bump stocks. The resolution further amends the City’s state legislative package to include support for legislation banning bump stocks.
Body
Whereas, A “bump stock” is a firearm accessory that replaces a rifle’s standard stock, freeing the weapon to slide back and forth rapidly, harnessing energy from the gun’s kickback; and
Whereas, The stock “bumps” back and forth between the shooter’s shoulder and trigger finger, freeing the shooter of the need to squeeze their finger and causing the rifle to fire rapidly, at nearly the rate of a machine gun; and
Whereas, On December 18, 2018, Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker announced that the Department of Justice had amended the regulations of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, clarifying that bump stocks fall within the definition of “machine gun” under federal law, and ownership was therefore heavily restricted; and
Whereas, On June 14, 2024, in Cargill v. United States, the United States Supreme Court struck down this regulation, holding that a semiautomatic rifle equipped with a bump stock does not meet the definition of a machine gun; and
Whereas, The majority decision is based on a novel, contorted and convoluted definition of “machine gun” that bypasses congressional intent, textual fidelity and common sense; and
Whereas, A bump stock applied to a semi-automatic rifle like an AR-15 can shoot at a rate of up to 800 rounds per minute; and
Whereas, This rate of fire is comparable to a fully automatic machine gun and orders-of-magnitude higher than the approximately 60 rounds per minute a shooter could fire by squeezing their finger for each shot; and
Whereas, Bump stocks not only dramatically increase the rate of fire, but also decrease the weapon’s accuracy, making them dangerous even outside the context of deliberate mass murder; and
Whereas, On October 1, 2017, during the Las Vegas concert shooting, the gunman used numerous firearms, almost all enhanced with bump stocks, and was able to kill 60 people and wound a further 413 from 500 yards away; and
Whereas, In total, the Las Vegas gunman fired 1,100 rounds in 11 minutes, and the incident remains the deadliest mass shooting by an individual in U.S. history; and
Whereas, With the recent Supreme Court decision, bump stocks are once again legal to own in Wisconsin; and
Whereas, Only 16 states and the District of Columbia now have bump stock bans in place; and
Whereas, Numerous polls in the wake of the Las Vegas tragedy have found overwhelming public support for banning bump stocks; and
Whereas, Mass shootings remain a persistent and unique problem in the United States averaging over 600 incidents per year since 2020; and
Whereas, In 2023 alone, nearly 750 people died in mass shootings in the United States, with a further 2,442 individuals wounded, many grievously with lifelong impairments, now, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee, that the City of Milwaukee supports passage of both federal and state legislation banning bump stocks; and, be it
Further Resolved, That Common Council Resolution File Number 220724 is amended by inserting the following item in the document attached to the file and identified as “Amended State Legislative Package”:
|
Public Safety and Public Health |
Common Council |
Seek introduction and passage of State legislation banning bump stocks. |
; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the City Clerk shall forward copies of this resolution to members of the City of Milwaukee’s delegations to the Wisconsin Legislature and U.S. Congress.
Requestor
Drafter
LRB 180017-1
Christopher Hillard
7/1/2024