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Bills from the 2023–24 session

Assembly Bill 686

Possession of a dangerous weapon by a person under the age of 18

Stopped in committee

It never got a ⁠, so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Nov 27, 2023

  2. Committee, stopped here

    Stopped here. No public hearing was held.

  3. Assembly vote, not reached

  4. Senate vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Apr 15, 2024: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.

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What it would have done

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Current law prohibits a person from possessing a short-barreled rifle or shotgun. Any person who violates the prohibition is guilty of a Class H felony. A “short-barreled rifle” is a rifle with a barrel that is less than 16 inches long or a rifle that is less than 26 inches long, and a “short-barreled shotgun” is a shotgun with a barrel that is less than 18 inches long or a shotgun that is less than 26 inches long.

Current law prohibits a person who is under 18 years old from possessing a dangerous weapon, including a firearm. A person who violates the prohibition is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. Current law provides exceptions for a person under 18 years old if any of the following apply: the person is using the firearm for target practice or for a course of instruction in how to use a firearm and the person is under adult supervision, the person is a member of the armed forces or national guard and is in the line of duty, or the dangerous weapon is a rifle or shotgun that is not a short-barreled rifle or a short-barreled shotgun and the person is in compliance with hunting laws.

Read the full summary

This bill clarifies the last exception so that it applies only to a person under 18 who is legally hunting and who is in compliance with hunting laws. The bill further clarifies that a person under 18 who violates the prohibition against possessing a short-barreled rifle or shotgun voids the exceptions discussed above for target practice or instruction or for hunting.

Who's behind it

19 lawmakers are its ⁠. All 19 are Democrats.

10 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 29 names

Authors (19)

Signed on in support (10)

What happened

  1. Apr 15, 2024

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Nov 28, 2023 to Dec 15, 2023

    3 more representatives signed on in support.

  3. Nov 27, 2023

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.

  4. Nov 27, 2023

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Nov 27, 2023 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Ohnstad, McGuire, Andraca, Joers, Sinicki, Emerson, Shelton, Stubbs, Billings, Snodgrass, Conley, Drake, Jacobson, Bare, J. Anderson, Palmeri, Cabrera, Subeck and Haywood; cosponsored by Senators Wirch, Agard, Carpenter, Roys, Hesselbein, Larson and Spreitzer

  2. Nov 27, 2023 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety

  3. Nov 28, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative Madison added as a coauthor

  4. Dec 6, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative Neubauer added as a coauthor

  5. Dec 15, 2023 · Assembly

    Representative Ratcliff added as a coauthor

  6. Apr 15, 2024 · Assembly

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

Public hearing

A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor