Tony Evers called lawmakers in Thursday to act on guns. GOP leaders rejected it within seconds.

MADISON - Republican lawmakers took just seconds to reject Gov. Tony Evers' call for action on gun violence on Thursday, swiftly denying debate and votes on bills that would add new rules for who in Wisconsin can possess firearms.

GOP leaders of the Assembly and the Senate each took less than one minute to ignore a special legislative session called by Evers to take up two bills that expand background checks on firearm sales and implement a new so-called red flag law.

Evers said the Republicans' had essentially told Wisconsin residents to "go jump in a lake" by refusing to take up the proposals. 

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald of Juneau stood alone in the Senate chamber to formally gavel into the special session as required by law, and just as quickly ended it. 

Though he was the only senator in the chamber, he said all 19 Senate Republicans were united in their opposition to Evers' bills for universal background checks and a new red-flag law. 

Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke of Kaukauna and Speaker Pro Tempore Tyler August of Lake Geneva did the same in their chamber, as some Democratic members shouted in opposition. 

"There's just not any momentum in the caucus to take up either one of the bills that the governor has offered," Fitzgerald told reporters after standing on the Senate dais, declaring the special session over and banging his gavel.

After the quick action, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he didn't want to debate a proposal he knew would fail. 

"Republicans essentially just told 80 percent of Wisconsinites and a majority of gun owners, ‘go jump in a lake,’ because they didn’t have the courage to take a vote — much less have a dialogue," Evers said in a statement.

Evers' call for a special session on gun legislation required lawmakers to convene, but they didn't have to do anything else — and they didn't.

Advocates for more gun restrictions expressed frustration that Republicans wouldn't at least hold a vote that showed where they stand.

"When lawmakers say they won't even debate this issue, I am being told that my life doesn't matter, that my safety isn't important," said Karly Scholz, the 16-year-old state director of March for Our Lives.

Evers put forward his proposals after gunmen in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, slew 31 people over one weekend in August. Republican lawmakers ignored his pleas to take up his two bills and he tried to force the issue last month by calling the special session for this week.

One bill would require background checks for almost all gun purchases, including private sales arranged at gun shows or online between individuals. The bill includes an exception for guns transferred between family members.

The other legislation would establish a red-flag law that would allow guns to be temporarily taken away from people deemed by a judge to be dangerous. 

Both proposals have proved popular, including among gun owners. In a September poll by Marquette University Law School, 80% supported expanded background checks and 81% backed taking guns from people whom judges found to be dangerous.

Republican lawmakers have said they fear expanded background checks could lead to a gun registry and don't think there are enough due process protections in the red-flag legislation.

"If you commit a crime, certainly you should not have a weapon," said Vos, a Republican from Rochester. "If you make a threat, same thing. But if someone's worried you might do something? That's not what America is about."

The Senate session was not like the typical ones that get public attention where all 33 senators sit in their august chamber and debate one another. Instead, Fitzgerald on his own presided over what's known as a skeletal session, where just one senator shows up, reads a brief script and gavels the end of the session.

Assembly leaders quickly rejected the session at the conclusion of a regular day on the Assembly floor, where lawmakers debated other topics. 

Fitzgerald, of Juneau, spent part of the day working for his campaign for Congress. He said Republicans were not shirking their duties by casting off the special session so quickly. 

"I don't know where that criticism comes from," he said. "We hold special sessions out here all the time and it has nothing to do with executing the job of being a legislature or convening."

The rejection of Evers' demand is one of two major steps Republican lawmakers took Thursday to blunt the governor's power over state policy and spending.  

The Assembly also tried to override three of Evers' budget vetoes, but they came up short of the two-thirds votes they needed because of Democratic opposition. 

Supporters of the legislation expressed frustration at the Republicans' refusal to hold votes.

"This government must take a vote," said Steven Miller, the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee. "We deserve to know where our legislators stand on this issue since 80% of us support it."

Evers called the session for 2 p.m., but lawmakers had until midnight to start the session. Fitzgerald showed up about 8 p.m. to start and finish the session. The Assembly leaders held theirs at 9:30 p.m.  

Suicide prevention

Assembly Republicans also approved a package of bills Thursday that were put forward by a task force on suicide prevention. The legislation would spend more than $1 million on measures that would provide quicker access to counseling for students, help struggling farmers pay their bills and require state officials to put more of a focus on preventing suicide statewide. 

Rep. Joan Ballweg, R-Markesan, contended the measures would do more to prevent suicides than what Evers has proposed.

"I think the red-flag law that we're talking about isn't addressing the main issue when it comes to suicide prevention in that if we can build communities of people who care for each other, we'll do a much better job than a red-flag law would," she said.

One bill would give gun shops up to $5,000 each so they could make storage space available to people who want to safely stash firearms while they or family members are experiencing mental health issues. 

Another bill would provide $500,000 in grants every two years to help municipalities pay for programs and devices meant to prevent suicide, including trigger locks, lock boxes and gun safes. 

All identification cards for students in K-12 schools and colleges could be required to have suicide hotline information under another bill. High schools and regional K-12 organizations also known as Cooperative Educational Service Agencies would be eligible to receive grants under another pair of bills. 

And $100,000 would go toward subsidizing tuition for farmers considered to be earning a low income under another proposal. The money could only be used for courses in farm and business management, helping to ease a source of stress that has contributed to suicide in rural communities.

Most of the suicide prevention measures passed unanimously or nearly unanimously, but it's uncertain whether the Senate will take them up. 

Contact Molly Beck at molly.beck@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MollyBeck.

Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.