[Music] good afternoon I'm mayor Tom Barrett and I'm joined this afternoon uh by police chief Edward Flynn I am also joined by Mary K belounis who is u a mother of a young man who was serving our community and who was killed in the line of duty and I'm also joined by Pamela Collins who works for project eima um who lost a daughter to gun violence as well I've spoken before about the tragedy that occurred in Brookfield last year where um at aana Salon Zena Daniel and two of her co-workers were killed um when Radcliffe hton her estranged husband was able to obtain a gun uh that he purchased off armslist.com and used that gun in defiance of a domestic violence restraining order to kill his wife and her two co-workers sadly earlier this week we saw yet another incident of domestic violence where a woman was killed by a man who legally could not possess a gun in this case the murder took place on Milwaukee southide where anarie batch was killed by Daniel Billings a man with whom she had a relationship a man who was a convicted felon a man who could not legally possess a firearm while we wait to hear the details of how he got the gun we do not have to wait to say enough is enough today the United States Senate has announced a deal that will expand background checks to all commercial sales including sales online and at gun shows importantly this legislation that has been introduced in the Senate would have covered the situation that occurred at at aana salon and that is very very important to me that is important to this community and I think it's important to the people in America so I stand before you today encouraged but cautious the bipartisan proposal for background checks was announced by Republican Pat Tumi of Pennsylvania and Democratic senator Joe Mansion of West Virginia The Proposal requires background checks for gun sales in commercial settings including gun shows and online gun sales and those are very very very important not having background checks at gun shows not having back ground checks at online sales I believe has been a key missing ingredient to how we reduce violence in this country this progress is a direct result of the American people demanding action nationally and locally a majority of Americans support background checks in fact an overwhelming majority of Americans support background checks gun owners non-gun owners Democrats Republicans Independents support background checks people in urban areas people in rural areas support background checks and now we have the first opportunity in a generation for the United States Senate to act on this provision just two weeks ago a marquet university poll found that more than 80% of people in Wisconsin including gun owners support background checks so this is an important step a first step in closing the one of the largest if not the largest loophole that is putting a lot lives at risk I want to make one thing clear this is not about infringing on anyone's second amendment rights the people we are trying to keep from getting their hands are on guns are the people who legally cannot possess guns if you legally can possess a gun this legislation will not in any way hinder you it will will however help law enforcement in making sure that Guns stay out of the hands of people who are convicted felons people who have domestic violence restraining orders and and people who have involuntary mental judgments commitment judgments against them it is an important step it's one that I urge all members of Congress to support Chief Flynn deals with this issue on a daily basis and I'd like to have him make a few comments as well Chief thank you well I'm going to start off by uh commending Senator Johnson for signing the petition that would oppose any legislation that would significantly restrict the rights of lawful gun owners to procure Firearms I've got great news for him the bill before us the Mansion Tumi bill doesn't do that we are being presented I think with a remarkable compromise that does something essential it ensures or at least better ensures that those who should not have firearms in their possession will not continue you to have easy access to them now it's an important and positive step towards reasonable rational regulation of who possesses firearms and we all know anybody that ever took a civics class knows that every constitutional right is subject to reasonable regulation just four years ago the Supreme Court said exactly that about the Second Amendment now the second amendment is no different than any other amendment in this regard the right to free speech doesn't include liable or yelling fire in a crowded theater the right to practice one's religion doesn't allow someone to be burned at the stake and the right to possess a firearm does not include extending that right to the dangerously mentally ill to the substance abuser or to the career criminal now we already Define who's allowed to to possess Firearms the Brady Bill passed in 19 1994 the 1968 gun control act both s Define those individuals who should not be in possession of a firearm my police officers take 2,000 illegal guns off the streets of this city every year more than 90% of my homicide suspects who use a firearm more than 90% of my homicide suspects who committed a non-fatal shooting did it with a firearm they purchased on the secondary Market of those 2,000 Firearms we take off the streets every year fewer than 10% have been reported stolen now we have an obligation and the obligation we have is to the potential victims of crime and to our police officers who encounter these firearms on the street the International Association of chiefs of police the police executive search Forum the major City Chiefs Association indeed every single reputable national executive police organization supports extending background checks and closing the Gun Show loophole now as the NRA constantly implores we need to enforce the laws on the books the law on the books about who can possess a firearm has been on the books for many years teeth were put in it in 1964 excuse me in 1994 in the wake of the attempted assassination of President Reagan but there was a loophole and that loophole has been exploited to provide nearly 70% of the crime guns used in this country we need to close that loophole I'm asking the Senate to pick a side in this time I and all the other police Chiefs in this country would be grateful if the side they picked was law enforcements and not the criminals thank you thank you Chief again we have unfortunately tragedy that occurs in our own community and Mary K Mary K belunas um is a mother who lost her son something that no one wants to see happen and she has bravely continued her fight to reduce violence in this community and I'd like to ask her to say a few words M K thank you mayor in February I met with Senator Johnson in his Washington DC office he was very gracious and he listened to my plea for common sense gun reform when I asked him about his own position he said to me and I quote the gun issue is not my thing end of quote well I beg to differ the gun issue may not be as passion or his area of expertise but this gun issue I believe is every Citizen's thing it affects all of us because the trajectory of a bullet goes far beyond the initial piercing blow it is a watershed moment after which nothing is ever the same ever we have all heard the statistics gun violence claims the lives of more Americans annually than in any other developed country while gun violence is highly concentrated in the United States our rates of gun violence are so high that even people who are at relatively low risk by American Standards are considered at risk by International standards God bless you in the past few years people deemed at low risk have been targeted in this country including school children University students and those gathered in prayer each death leaves a long trail of grief and lives that are changed forever there are solutions to this to reduce this menacing problem if all of us work together to find them Senator Johnson I say this to you I have reached out to you three times since our February meeting and have received one form letter email in response in that email you thanked me for supporting the Second Amendment like you do and I appreciate that because I do support the Second Amendment I in the past have purchased a gun and have gone through a background check and then you stated that you sponsored a bill that would have prohibited the Department of Justice from tracking and cataloging the purchases of multiple rifles and shotguns expanded background checks Senator are a very good beginning an assault weapons ban a ban on high-capacity magazines and expanded mental health treatment are positive next steps my son Special Agent J Bel chunis was murdered with a gun obtained illegally while he was working to protect the citizens of Wisconsin as my Senator are you saying that my son does not deserve a vote let alone legislation to protect those that he worked to protect and if your answer is yes then I his mother your constituent deserve an explanation thank you thank you Mary Kay next I'd like to ask U Pamela Collins again who works for project eima and who lost her daughter um to say a few words Pamela if you would please hi my name is Pamela Collins I lost my daughter Rosen Ross to gunfire um that's a feeling that never goes away um I was called this morning by Daryl I don't work for project Eugene I go to their meetings and um it's awesome group they they're just awesome they it's a group of us who who've lost someone and we get together on Saturdays we break we break bread and we speak about our losses I think the Senators need to come to that meeting and feel the people pain and understand what they're going through because this is something you never get over never you carry it with you every day you wear it every day and so I I'm asking the Senators to come to the meeting and listen to the people it's it's way out of hand and it's getting messy and they need to clean it up so I'm begging the Senators to do do your job it don't take much it's just a vote thank you there are certain Watershed events that occur in life there are certain Watershed events that occur in politics I truly believe that what happened today with the two senators is a watershed moment in American history I believe that the senators of both parties and this is a bipartisan compromise that senators of both parties can unanimous unanimously support this compromise the reason I believe that is because it does not infringe on Second Amendment rights it does not create a federal database that the FBI would maintain it allows family members to transfer guns to other family members it allows friends to transfer guns to other friends what it prohibits is the sales that have occurred at gun shows and online sales that have proliferated because of this loophole this is a rare moment when the two parties in Washington have begun to come together it is my hope and I don't think I'm naive when I'm saying this it is my hope that this bill could pass the United States Senate unanimously because the people have spoken by overwhelming numbers they have supported Universal background checks this certainly addresses the most egregious loopholes that occur right now if there are any questions we'd be happy to answer any questions Chief you um question with the chief here given your understanding of how criminals in Milwaukee who use weapons get those weapons you reference the secondary Market um but specifically how in that market they get those weapons to what extent do you think this bill if it passed would have an impact on crime in Milwaukee it would certainly make it somewhat more difficult for criminals to secure Firearms now you know no single act of legislation no single lever that is pulled is going to cure all our problems certainly I've made proposals before the mayor has supported them and advanced them that we make straw purchasing a felony here in this state because more than a few of our criminals get their firearms through their girlfriends who can pass a background check so no law is perfect but what this does do is close a significant loophole and that's the loophole of any use of the internet or any attempt to go to a gun show or a gun Market that's not a federal licensed firearm dealer and get a firearm and that's you know our our experience is you know over 90% of the weapons we seize from criminals purchase the secondary Market this will put a dent in it it will make it harder that's our goal and you both reference or I know may or you reference but Chief you may know the billing case do you know where he got that weapon uh we asked the ATF to expedite the gun trace and they really moved Heaven and Earth to do it in less than 24 hours the last record they have of it was being delivered to a now closed gun dealer in 1967 so all we know is the following it's never been reported stolen and presumably it's moved through the secondary market for the last 40 some years that's all we can infer there is no record of it mayor can Senator Johnson really stop the vote at this point AR the numbers pretty much in your side favor uh my understanding is it's 13 14 Senators I think 13 Senators who have said that they will um not allow or they would vote against proceeding with a bill that they felt violated the Second Amendment I honestly believe that even the letter that he and the other Senators signed that if you look at this language this does not stop any of them from voting to allow it to proceed that's why I say I honestly believe that you could get a 100 Senators because this bill has been so carefully crafted and it so clearly does not infringe on any second amendment rights and that was that was the the number one criteria he set Senator Tumi himself again a Republican said that he does not consider this a gun control measure he considers this Common Sense legislation [Music]