Wisconsin Senate Bill SB1124

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 3/19/26
• Refer: 3/19/26
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to repeal 968.075 (1) (a) 1. to 4.; to renumber and amend 947.01 (1) and 968.075 (1) (a) (intro.); to create 947.01 (1) (a), 968.075 (1) (ag), 968.075 (1) (am) 1., 4., 5. and 6. and 968.075 (1) (f) of the statutes; Relating to: firearm transfers and possession that are prohibited under federal law. (FE)

Summary

SB1124 would reorganize Wisconsin statutes governing disorderly conduct and domestic abuse to make it easier for the Department of Justice and courts to identify when a conviction qualifies as a federal misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. The bill does not create a new firearm prohibition; instead, it restructures existing language so that court records more clearly show whether the conduct involved violence and whether the victim-offender relationship fits federal domestic-violence definitions. The bill amends the disorderly conduct statute by separating out “violent behavior” as its own category, defined as conduct involving the use or attempted use of physical force or the use or threatened use of a dangerous weapon. It also revises the domestic abuse definition by breaking out relationship categories—such as relatives, dating partners, cohabitants, and people similarly situated to spouses, parents, or legal guardians—so the record reflects whether a case meets federal law’s narrower relationship requirements. The bill also updates cross-references in multiple statutes that rely on the domestic abuse definition.

Impact

If enacted, SB1124 would change how Wisconsin criminal records and related court documents classify certain disorderly conduct and domestic abuse cases, which could affect firearm purchase background checks and concealed carry licensing determinations. It would amend sections of the statutes tied to firearm possession restrictions, evidentiary rules, sentencing, and other laws that reference the domestic abuse definition, while leaving the underlying federal firearm disability unchanged.

Sentiment

The available materials suggest the bill was framed as a technical, administrative clarification rather than a major policy shift. Its stated purpose is to help DOJ more efficiently determine federal firearm disqualifications by making records clearer, which generally indicates a compliance-oriented and procedural approach. The bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1, and no committee debate or recorded votes are provided here to show broader support or opposition.

Contention

The main point of tension is likely the scope of the domestic relationship categories and how closely state definitions should track federal firearm law. The bill narrows and reorganizes statutory language so that some state domestic-abuse cases—especially those based only on cohabitation—would be distinguishable from federal misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence. That distinction could matter to people facing firearm restrictions, prosecutors, courts, and DOJ administrators, but the provided record does not show specific objections or supporters beyond the bill’s sponsors.