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FACT BRIEF

Did Wisconsin repeal the 48-hour waiting period to purchase a handgun in 2015?

By Jacob Alabab-Moser
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YES

On June 24, 2015, former Gov. Scott Walker signed into law a bill repealing Wisconsin’s 48-hour waiting period for purchasing a handgun. 

Before the Republican-led Legislature approved the repeal, the state had required firearm dealers to wait 48 hours between a purchaser passing a state Department of Justice background check and taking possession of a handgun. Today, the law only requires the DOJ to notify dealers within five working days of the start of the background check process of any "unclear" results from the check.

Democratic state Sen. Melissa Agard and Rep. Sheila Stubbs introduced legislation in February 2022 to reinstate the waiting period, which Stubbs called "a common-sense way to limit crimes of passion." One 2017 study estimates waiting periods reduce gun homicides by 17%. But the Rand Corp. in 2020 found a lack of high-quality research on such "cooling off" periods. 

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Wisconsin State Legislature Wisconsin Legislature: 2015 Wisconsin Act 22
Reuters Wisconsin governor signs bill repealing handgun waiting period
Wisconsin Legislature Sen. Agard, Rep. Stubbs introduce 48-hour waiting period legislation
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.