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Dane County board adopts resolution urging ‘common-sense’ gun reforms
Summary
The Dane County Board adopted Resolution 308, a county-level statement calling for expanded gun-safety measures and urging state action. The substitute removed a named school at the request of that school; the measure passed on a roll-call vote.
The Dane County Board of Supervisors voted to adopt Resolution 308, a county resolution “demanding common sense gun reform,” after the board approved a substitute that removed the name of a school referenced in an earlier draft.
The substitute (sub 1) was offered before the full board and approved by the Executive Committee with one abstention; the board then adopted Resolution 308 as amended on a roll-call vote. Clerk read the final tally as 30 ayes, 1 no, 1 abstention and 4 absences; the chair announced the resolution adopted.
The resolution frames the county’s action as a call for legislative and policy changes at higher levels of government. Supervisor Blazewitz, who delivered the meeting’s inspirational message and flagged Resolution 308 earlier in the evening, described the measure as “more than words,” calling it “a declaration that we will not accept inaction.”
Supporters said the resolution is a starting point for local action and education. Supervisor Hilseman said, “It is too easy to get ahold of a gun in this country. There are absolutely more guns than there are people,” and called background checks and registration possible places to begin. County Board staffer Lisa McKinnon, who prepared research materials for the resolution, told supervisors that research on so-called extreme risk protective orders (commonly called red flag laws) showed about half of U.S. states have such laws and that some studies cited reductions in gun deaths following their adoption. “The evidence … did say that the states did see reductions in gun deaths in their states,” McKinnon said.
Opponents raised concerns about due process and effectiveness. Supervisor Wagon said he had “a problem with the red flag laws,” adding, “I do believe that they violate due process” and expressing skepticism that the orders reduce violence in practice.
The chair explained the substitute removed a school name after the school objected to being named in the text. The Executive Committee recommended approval of the substitute and the resolution prior to the full-board vote.
The resolution does not enact county-level regulatory changes; instead it directs the board to make a formal statement urging state policymakers to act and affirms the county’s interest in public-safety and educational measures described in the text.
Votes and next steps: with the resolution adopted, any specific policy or regulatory changes referenced by advocates would require separate proposals or state action. The board did not adopt implementing ordinances or funding measures in this action.
Details and documents related to the resolution were provided to supervisors in the meeting packet; the clerk recorded the roll-call vote at the end of debate.
