Wisconsin Democrats have proposed legislation to prohibit firearms on college and university campuses in the state. Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, and Rep. Brienne Brown, D-Whitewater, introduced the legislation at an Aug. 27 press conference.
Current law allows individuals with licenses to conceal carry in public or private university buildings. Under the proposed legislation, college campuses in Wisconsin would become gun-free zones, like K-12 campuses. It would be a Class A misdemeanor to have a gun on university property — even for those with a permit — with a penalty of up to nine months in jail and a fine of up to $10,000.
Roys told the Marquette Wire she was previously unaware of the different regulations on college campuses. She said all students should have the freedom to learn at school without the fear of gun violence.
Currently, colleges and universities in Wisconsin can post signs banning guns from specific buildings, but there is no law to prohibit firearms campus-wide. Marquette University has signs posted on campus buildings like academic offices and residence halls.
Wisconsin is one of 11 states that allow conceal carry on public college campuses. In surrounding Midwest states like Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota, the decision is up to the institutions. In Illinois, Michigan and Ohio, campus carry is prohibited.
“This legislation aims to change that and bring Wisconsin into line with the other states who recognize that our colleges and universities are places for learning, for the free exchange of ideas, for deepening your knowledge and advancing your careers, and not for weapons,” Roys told the Wire.
Marquette maintains a no weapons allowed policy on university owned property and asks those who conceal carry to remain on public property.
Universities don’t have the capacity to take care of firearm regulations by themselves, Brown said. She hopes Wisconsin Democrats and Republicans can work together to pass legislation that protects college students from gun violence.
The Wire reached out to State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Wis., for comment about changes to state legislation and did not receive a response.
Stricter laws could prevent firearm deaths
In addition to increased college campus safety measures, Roys said, Wisconsin needs a red flag law. This law permits a state court to order the temporary seizure of firearms from a person believed to be dangerous.
As of 2024, 21 states and the District of Columbia have some form of red flag laws in place, including Midwestern states Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Minnesota.
“States that pass responsible gun safety regulation see an absolute decrease in firearm injury and death,” Roys told the Wire. “These measures work, just like safety measures across any other public health problem.”
According to the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, data shows that the states with the highest gun death rates tend to be in the South or Mountain West, which have weaker gun laws and more gun ownership. The school cites death rates as being lower in Northeastern states with stronger gun violence prevention laws.
772 people died from firearms in Wisconsin in 2023.
Elliot Sgrignuoli, senior in the College of Arts & Sciences and president of Marquette University College Republicans, said he thinks changing firearm legislation won’t provide increased safety for residents, staff and faculty.
Sgrignuoli believes the greatest way to provide protection on college campuses is to invest in stronger surveillance and security systems, as well as walk through active shooter drills.
Legislation faces an uphill battle in Wisconsin
Republicans, who hold a majority in the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate, are unlikely to advance the proposed legislation and have not signed on to other proposals introduced by Democrats in this session.
These four proposals include:
- Requiring a waiting period to purchase guns
- Outlawing undetectable firearms
- Requiring gun owners who have children to safely store their firearms
- Prohibiting the sale of firearms without a background check and federally licensed dealership.
Wisconsin Republicans have also introduced a bill that would create a sales tax exemption for gun safes and another bill that would allow teachers to carry guns in classrooms to combat school shootings.
As of Aug. 27, there were no Republican co-sponsors on any of the Democrats’ proposed legislation to address gun safety in Wisconsin, according to a news release from Roys and Brown.
Proposal coincides with Annunciation Church shooting
When Roys was preparing remarks for the press conference about the proposed legislation Aug. 27, she received word of a shooting at Annunciation Church in Minneapolis. Two children died and 18 others were injured during a start-of-the-school-year Mass.
“That’s just an ordinary day in America. No other country on earth allows this level of preventable gun violence,” Roys told the Wire.
Brown, who was visibly emotional during the press conference, said for decades the country has witnessed children dying at the hands of armed shooters while adults do nothing about it or weaken laws that were already in place.
Roys said fear for her children’s safety shouldn’t be at the top of her mind during back-to-school time.
“Gun safety measures like this are not controversial,” Roys told the Wire.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., called the Minneapolis shooting “horrific news” and said he was praying for the students, faculty and their families.
Mental health, suicide are factors in gun deaths
Firearm legislation doesn’t just prevent mass shootings, Roys said. According to data from the Pew Research Center, 58% of all gun deaths from 2023 were suicides. More than half of all suicides in the same year involved a gun.
Over the past two decades, roughly 70% of gun deaths across Wisconsin were suicides.
Roys said college students are particularly vulnerable to mental health crises, facing social and academic stress while living in a foreign environment. She said the difference between life and death can be whether a gun is present or not.
On May 19, two University of Wisconsin-Platteville students died in a murder-suicide at a residence hall. Hallie Helms, who had a concealed carry weapon permit, used a 9mm Smith & Wesson to shoot Kelsie Martin before taking her own life.
Anti-gun violence efforts exist on campus
Marquette has a March For Our Lives chapter. On campus, the club seeks to build a world free of gun violence and work alongside community members to educate others and speak up on local issues, according to its website.
In the past, Marquette students have participated in March For Our Lives marches across the country, hosted informational meetings and spoken out against gun-violence related instances on campus.
The Wire reached out to March For Our Lives Marquette and did not receive a response.
This story was written by Mia Thurow. She can be reached at [email protected]. Maeve Heeney contributed to this report.
This story was updated to clarify Marquette University’s no weapons policy.
Matthew Schacht • Sep 2, 2025 at 10:01 pm
Thank you for this! This is a well constructed article with multiple views from those interviewed, and this is such an important issue. Thank you for doing meaningful work 🙂