Wisconsin
Wisconsin lawmakers propose making gun safes tax-free to encourage people to lock firearms up
Milwaukee firearms instructors provide free home defense assessment
Jieire Vance, owner of Guaranteed Protection Services, provides a gun safety and home defense assessment for a homeowner in Milwaukee.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text “HOPELINE” to the National Crisis Text Line at 741741.
A new proposal that would make gun safes exempt from Wisconsin sales tax − an effort to encourage more people to secure their firearms − began circulating among lawmakers in Madison Tuesday.
The bill was authored by two Republicans and was getting Democratic support just hours after it was sent around. Such measures are routinely circulated for sponsorship before being formally introduced.
State Rep. Adam Neylon, R-Pewaukee, and state Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, are the authors of the proposal. State Rep. Lisa Subeck, D-Madison, and Rep. Deb Andraca, D-Whitefish Bay, both agreed to co-sponsor the measure Tuesday afternoon, their offices confirmed.
In a joint statement, Neylon and Wanggaard said: “We are offering this legislation to encourage people to store guns securely, and keep children safe from accidental injury, death, and suicide. Simply put, this bill promotes responsible gun safety.”
Subeck said in a statement that better storage is vital to stem the number of children being killed by firearms. “While there is much we need to do to prevent these deaths, increasing access to gun safes and promoting safe storage is the very least we can do,” she said.
Andraca added: “I hope this bill signals a new willingness by my Republican colleagues to work together and finally pass common-sense gun safety laws to keep Wisconsinites safe.”
The new proposal echos a 2019 bill, which also had bipartisan support. It was authored by then-state Sen. Patty Schachtner, D-Somerset, who has since left the Legislature. Wanggaard was a co-sponsor.
That bill, however, did not advance out of committee. The state Department of Revenue estimated the bill would have resulted in $309,000 in lost tax revenue.
Several other states exempt gun safes from sales tax, including Washington, Tennessee, Massachusetts and Texas. And a hospital in Philadelphia is giving away gun safes for free.
It is far more common for groups to give out free cable locks, which are inexpensive but not as effective as gun safes, experts say.
The proposed measure comes as firearms deaths have jumped in recent years in Wisconsin. In 2022, the most recent year data was available, more than 800 people died from gunshot wounds, a 95% rate increase when adjusted for population growth since 2004, a Journal Sentinel analysis found.
Suicides are the largest category of firearm deaths, accounting for 71 of every 100 such deaths in Wisconsin. In 2022, there were more than 500 firearm suicides in Wisconsin, a record high for the state.
Gun safes are particularly useful in preventing accidental shootings involving children, which are comparatively rare, but extremely tragic and easily avoidable with secure storage of firearms.
In 2023, Gov. Tony Evers included a measure in his budget that would have made gun safes as well as trigger locks and gun barrel locks exempt from sales tax, as part of a larger package of firearms-related measures. The bill did not pass.
Evers, a Democrat, last week created an office within the state Department of Administration aimed at reducing shootings, following a deadly school shooting in Madison in December.
Evers said he would put $10 million toward the new state office that will distribute funds to local school districts, city and county officials, firearm dealers and nonprofit groups.
He also promised a sweeping package of firearms-related proposals in his 2025-27 state budget that will be released in February. He urged the Republican-controlled Legislature to pass the measures, which have been been defeated in the past. It is unclear yet if the package will include a measure to exempt gun safes from sales tax.
Journal Sentinel Reporter Molly Beck contributed to this article.
About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader.
It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said in a video statement that 300 to 400 protesters were “violently trying to break into the property” and assault officers. He said protesters have ignored designated areas for peaceful protest and blocked roads to prevent emergency vehicles from entering.
“This is not a peaceful protest,” Barrett said.
The sheriff’s department said a “significant” number of people were arrested out of about 1,000 protesters at the site but did not give an exact total as they were still being processed as of the afternoon.
Protesters tried to overcome barricades that included a manure-filled trench, hay bales and a barbed-wire fence. Some protesters did get through the fence but were unable to enter the facility, where an estimated 2,000 beagles are kept, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde reflects on early March Madness exit
Wisconsin guard Andrew Rohde said the Badgers ‘thought we could do so many things’ in the NCAA Tournament before it ended abrupty with an upset loss.
Wisconsin men’s basketball has added a sharpshooting wing via the transfer portal.
Miami (Ohio) transfer Eian Elmer has signed with the Badgers, the team announced April 18. The 6-foot-7 wing will join UW with one year of eligibility remaining.
Elmer averaged a career-high 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds while shooting 49.8% from the field and 42.9% from 3-point range in 2025-26. His production helped the RedHawks go 32-2 and earn an at-large NCAA Tournament bid.
“We are really excited to add another excellent addition to our spring signees,” UW coach Greg Gard said in a release. “Eian brings a wealth of experience and scoring punch as a 6-7 wing. … A terrific shooter, his skillset and production fit excellently into our plan as we build out next year’s team. Throughout our evaluation process, our staff loved his size, power and skill and truly believe he will thrive in our system.”
Elmer is Wisconsin’s third transfer portal addition since the end of the 2025-26 season, joining former George Washington guard Trey Autry and former Hofstra forward Victory Onuetu. UW also added Australian guard Owen Foxwell.
The additions of Autry, Onuetu and now Elmer leave Gard’s staff with three more roster spots to fill ahead of the 2026-27 season.
The Badgers are looking to replace much of their production from a 2025-26 team that went 24-11. Nolan Winter is expected to be the team’s only returning starter after John Blackwell and Aleksas Bieliauskas entered the transfer portal and Nick Boyd and Andrew Rohde exhausted their eligibility.
MILWAUKEE – Friday’s severe storms have passed. And with that, the threat of any severe weather has also passed for the immediate future as no storms or rain are expected for several days.
However, plenty of damage remains across southeastern Wisconsin as of Saturday morning, in addition to the ongoing flooding threat.
Several area rivers are at flood stage, and there are multiple river flood warnings in effect.
FOX6 Weekend WakeUp on Saturday begins at 6 a.m.
On the scene in the morning
What we know:
Farmstead damage in Franklin
FOX6’s Hayley Spitler is in Franklin on Saturday morning, April 18, getting a daylight look at the damage from last night’s storms.
Storm damage in Caledonia
Friday’s storms left quite the mark across southern and southeastern Wisconsin, including at L and L Farms and Greenhouse in Caledonia.
FOX6 Weather Extras
Local perspective:
Meanwhile, FOX6Now.com offers a variety of extremely useful weather tools to help you navigate the stormy season. They include the following:
FOX6 Storm Center app
FOX LOCAL Mobile app
FOX Weather app
Maps and radar
We have a host of maps and radars on the FOX6 Weather page that are updating regularly — to provide you the most accurate assessment of the weather. From a county-by-county view to the Midwest regional radar and a national view — it’s all there.
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School and business closings
When the weather gets a little dicey, schools and businesses may shut down. Monitor the latest list of closings, cancellations, and delays reported in southeast Wisconsin.
FOX6 Weather Experts in social media
The Source: Information in this post was compiled by the FOX6 Weather Experts.
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