Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB324

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 7/8/25
• Refer: 7/8/25
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to amend 175.35 (title), 175.35 (2) (d) and 175.35 (2g) (c) 4. c. of the statutes; Relating to: waiting period for purchase of handguns.

Summary

AB324 would create a mandatory 48-hour waiting period for handgun purchases in Wisconsin. Under current law, a federally licensed firearms dealer must request a background check before transferring a handgun; this bill would bar the dealer from completing the transfer until 48 hours have elapsed after the dealer receives a confirmation number for the background check, so long as the purchaser has not been found prohibited from possessing a firearm. The bill also preserves the Department of Justice’s ability to take additional time when a background check is unclear. If the records search leaves uncertainty about whether the purchaser is prohibited by state or federal law, DOJ must make every reasonable effort to resolve the issue and notify the dealer as soon as practicable, but no later than five working days after the search was requested. The bill would apply only to handgun sales occurring on or after its effective date.

Impact

AB324 would amend Wisconsin Statutes section 175.35 by changing the title to reflect a handgun purchase waiting period and by adding a 48-hour delay to handgun transfers after a background check request. It would affect federally licensed firearms dealers, handgun purchasers, and the Department of Justice’s firearm records search process, while leaving the underlying prohibition on sales to disqualified persons in place. The bill would not create a general waiting period for all firearms, only handguns.

Sentiment

Based on the bill text and the absence of recorded committee testimony or votes in the provided materials, the measure appears to be a straightforward gun-control proposal intended to add a cooling-off period before handgun transfers. The sponsorship pattern suggests support from Democratic legislators, and the bill ultimately did not become law, failing to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1. No opposing or supporting arguments are documented in the supplied record, so the overall sentiment can only be characterized as procedurally unsuccessful rather than publicly debated in the available materials.

Contention

The main point of contention is likely the policy choice to impose a mandatory delay on handgun purchases, which supporters would view as a public-safety measure and opponents would likely see as an unnecessary burden on lawful gun buyers and dealers. A secondary issue is the interaction with the background-check process: the bill requires dealers to wait 48 hours even after a confirmation number is received, while also allowing DOJ up to five working days when eligibility is unclear. That structure could raise concerns about delays, administrative workload, and the balance between firearm access and screening time.