Wisconsin Gov. Evers in La Crosse Thursday to discuss new violence prevention efforts

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has a trip to La Crosse planned Thursday, as part of a statewide promotion of his newly-created Office of Violence Prevention.

The office is focused on preventing gun violence and comes a month after a Madison school shooting, where a 15-year-old girl killed another classmate, a teacher and wounded six others before taking her own life.

Evers is scheduled to take part in a roundtable discussion at Emplify Health (formerly Gundersen) at the hospital’s Crime Victim Services Unit. There, they will discuss the facility’s expansion in addressing the increasing and complex needs related to sexual violence, intimate partner violence and gender-based violence.

Evers said the shooting at Abundant Life Christian School demonstrates another need for lawmakers to act.

Republicans that control the state Legislature, though, have rejected numerous gun safety measures put forward by Evers, including universal background checks for gun purchases and criticized Evers’ move in creating the violence prevention office.

Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said it was “not well thought out.” adding it amounts to “a whole bunch of touchy feely bureaucrats that are going to go around wasting time, wasting money and certainly not putting the effort where it’s deserved.”

The state Legislature was sworn in last week after being out of session the past eight months.

The first order of business for Republicans in control was to pass a constitutional amendment on voter ID, which is already currently state law.

Evers’ executive order in creating the new violence prevention office directed $10 million to begin work and administer grants supporting gun violence prevention and other violence prevention efforts statewide.

Evers will also be stopping in Chetek and Kenosha on Thursday.