Evers creates new Office of Violence Prevention in wake of Abundant Life shooting
Republican Assembly Leader Robin Vos has already signaled opposition to granting the office permanent funding.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers on Jan. 14 signed an executive order authorizing the creation of a new state Office of Violence Prevention in the aftermath of the deadly shooting at a Madison school that took place in December.
“Just weeks ago, we had a heartbreaking, deadly school shooting at Abundant Life Christian School here in Madison. As a father, a grandfather, and as governor, it is unthinkable that a kid and an educator woke up and went to school that morning and never came home,” Evers said at a Jan. 14 press conference, according to a press release. “That should never happen. Not to any kid, not to any educator, not to any person or family—not in this state or anywhere else in this country.”
A 42-year-old teacher and a 15-year-old student, along with the 15-year-old shooter, died in that incident. Six others were injured.
Evers’ executive order directs the Department of Administration to establish the new office. It tasks the office with coordinating with state and local government agencies to prevent violence; provide technical assistance to local violence prevention efforts; administer grants to school districts and law enforcement agencies to reduce violence; develop public education campaigns; and analyze data to find ways to improve state policies or laws on violence.
The order cites a variety of statistics, noting that guns were the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. in 2020; gun death rates for that group has more than doubled in the last 11 years; and 60% of the 932 suicides in Wisconsin in 2022 involved a firearm.
According to the Wisconsin Examiner, the governor is directing $10 million in federal funds, which will come from the American Rescue Plan Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021, to the Office of Violence Prevention for it to start its work. Evers hopes to make the office permanent with state funding in the 2025-2027 budget.
“I have said from the beginning that I would never accept gun violence as a foregone reality or stop working to change it. Violence, including gun violence, is a statewide problem, with statewide consequences for people and families across our state,” Evers said. “This issue has long deserved a comprehensive, statewide response, and that’s what we’ll be taking on with our new Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention.”
Wisconsin Republicans, however, immediately signaled their opposition. With both houses of the state Legislature controlled by Republicans, approving long-term funding for the office could be a tall order.
“It takes a bureaucrat to think that another government agency is actually going to be effective,” Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said Jan. 14, according to the Wisconsin Examiner. “I think what we need to do is to increase funding for our police and public safety services, not create a whole bunch of touchy-feely bureaucrats that are going to go around wasting time, wasting money.”
Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley praised Evers’ actions. The county was the site of 77% of all gun homicides in Wisconsin in 2022, despite making up only 16% of the state’s population, according to the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Gun Violence Solutions.
“Gun violence continues to devastate communities across Milwaukee County and beyond. However, we have seen encouraging progress, including reduced homicide rates and positive outcomes from targeted violence prevention efforts, such as the Advance Peace program,” Crowley said in a statement. “I’m deeply grateful to Governor Evers for making violence prevention a statewide priority. Collaboration is essential to building safer communities, and I look forward to working alongside the Evers Administration and the newly established Wisconsin Office of Violence Prevention to ensure Milwaukee County and all of Wisconsin is safe for everyone.”