NEW FRANKEN, WI (WTAQ) — Democrats in Madison are backing a number of gun control measures in response to shootings in Atlanta and Colorado.
Among those are calls for expanded background checks.
Milwaukee area Democratic State Senator LaTonya Johnson supports the measures and said this about people who buy guns online.
“Individuals are not going to Carbela’s [sic] to purchase these guns because they would not pass the background check,” said Johnson in an interview with FOX 11. “They are buying these guns online.”
Scott Virlee of Virlee Gunworks in New Franken says Johnson is wrong: online gun purchases have to be shipped to gun stores before the customer gets a hold of their purchase, and it requires a background check.
“Same thing, same process, just like if they’re buying a gun in the shop,” Virlee told WTAQ. “It’s the exact same paperwork they have to fill out and answer all the questions. We still run a background check on them.”
Virlee says the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms can audit a gun store or Federal Firearm License holder whenever they want.
“Everything that comes into this into the shop and leaves the shop is all recorded in our database,” Virlee said. “The ATF can come in and do an audit whenever they’d like.”
The only purchases that don’t require a background check are sales between private individuals. Critics say legislation requiring those background checks would be difficult to enforce.
It’s already illegal in Wisconsin to sell a gun to a person who cannot lawfully own one under state statute 948.60.
