Democrats renew calls for ban on ghost guns following murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Democratic lawmakers and law enforcement officials are renewing calls to regulate handmade firearms known as ghost guns after authorities say one was used in the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.

Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) said she's planning on reintroducing legislation that would ban ghost guns, which are untraceable, homemade firearms that can easily be assembled without a background check.

It comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is weighing a gun control policy implemented by the Biden administration that regulates ghost guns in the same way as other firearms.

Law enforcement also continues to grapple with the issue as police say ghost guns are frequently recovered across the state.

Hesselbein's measure was first proposed in wake of the 2018 workplace shooting at Dane County technology company Paradigm. An employee, Anthony Tong, started shooting his coworkers with a firearm authorities said was a handmade ghost gun.

Four people were injured before law enforcement shot and killed Tong.

Since that frightening day, Hesselbein and Democratic lawmakers have tried to pass legislation to regulate ghost guns to try and prevent something similar from happening again.

"We need to figure out where ghost guns are, and we need to have them regulated," Hesselbein said.

Hesselbein is from Middleton, the community rocked by the Paradigm shooting. For the last several years she's introduced her bill, but it's never received a public hearing at the state Capitol.

"When the Paradigm shooting first happened, people at that time said they would be willing to look at the bill," she said. "However, that didn't happen."

Hesselbein said she plans on having conversations with GOP lawmakers in the upcoming legislative session about her proposal.

Democrats and law enforcement officials, who strongly support the bill, hope with ghost guns back in the national spotlight, they could see a different outcome next year.

CBS 58 reached out to a series of Republican lawmakers to get input on the bill and did not hear back.

The Wisconsin Department of Justice and Gov. Tony Evers have previously voiced support for the measure.

In October, justices on the U.S. Supreme Court signaled openness to President Biden's rule that would require ghost gun manufacturers to include serial numbers on the kits and perform background checks on the purchasers.