Representatives-elect Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee) and Mandela Barnes (D-Milwaukee) listen to Wisconsin Pro-Gun Movement founder James E. Fendry during a news conference Tuesday at City Hall. Credit: Kristyna Wentz-Graff

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In the wake of mass shootings in Connecticut and the Milwaukee area, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen on Tuesday questioned passing new gun control laws but stopped short of taking a position on such legislation.

His comments came as three Milwaukee Democrats said they would introduce legislation in the upcoming session to avoid tragedies like Friday's shooting that killed 20 first-graders and six staff members at a school in Newtown, Conn.

In an interview in the state Capitol on Tuesday, Van Hollen said some had taken a "knee-jerk" reaction to the news and that he wasn't convinced proposals to ban high capacity magazines and some semiautomatic rifles would have made any difference in this case.

"I'm certainly not going to buy into that today. I want to buy into anything people can show me will reasonably reduce horrible senseless acts of violence like this," the GOP attorney general said.

Van Hollen said policy-makers should look at the possibility of spending the money needed to put armed police officers in schools and at limiting the access of firearms to the mentally ill.

He didn't register support or opposition to any specific proposal, but reserved his greatest skepticism for new gun control laws and for calls from some other Republicans to broaden state law to allow license holders to carry concealed weapons in schools.

"I'm also not certain it could have been prevented. I'm not certain that banning AR-15 semiautomatic (rifles) with 30-shot clips would have prevented it," Van Hollen said of the Connecticut tragedy.

Five hours after the interview, Van Hollen issued a statement saying he believed "we need to do whatever we can for those who are least able to protect themselves."

"We should carefully and deliberately look at any and all measures that might protect the innocent," his statement said. "If we can keep firearms away from criminals, and do a better job of protecting children, while honoring the right of lawful citizens to keep and bear arms under the state and federal constitutions, we should do so."

Gov. Scott Walker has not said whether he sees a need to change any laws in light of the recent shootings. On Tuesday, his spokesman, Cullen Werwie, said the GOP governor "will focus on the underlying problem of how to better address the challenges facing youth with mental illnesses." Werwie did not provide specifics.

Friday's massacre follows two recent mass shootings in Milwaukee suburbs. In August, white supremacist Wade Michael Page killed six people at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek before being shot by police and killing himself. In October, Radcliffe Haughton killed his estranged wife, Zina, and two of her co-workers at the Azana Salon & Spa in Brookfield, wounded four others, and took his own life.

The shooting in Connecticut has sparked a nationwide debate on guns, with President Barack Obama and Democrats in Congress calling for stricter laws. On Tuesday, the National Rifle Association announced that it is "prepared to offer meaningful contributions to help make sure this never happens again" and that it would offer details on its ideas at a Friday news conference.

The announcement came as Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed a bill that would have allowed some gun owners to carry concealed weapons in schools and day care centers in his state.

Also Tuesday, three Milwaukee Democrats - Rep. Fred Kessler and Representative-elects Evan Goyke and Mandela Barnes - said at a news conference at Milwaukee City Hall they would introduce legislation that would:

Ban certain types of bullets, such as hollow-point bullets.

Ban military-style semiautomatic rifles, sometimes referred to as an assault rifles. Under the proposal, it would be illegal to possess, distribute, import, transport, offer for sale, transfer or give away assault weapons. People could keep assault weapons purchased before the proposal took effect, but would have to register them.

Require those seeking permits to carry concealed guns to undergo psychological evaluations. Goyke suggested that since prospective concealed-carry permit holders have to take a training class, the class might include an exam by a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Goyke said current state law requires a background check for anyone who wants to purchase a firearm or obtain a permit to lawfully carry and conceal a firearm. That check is to determine if the prospective gun owner has not been convicted of a felony or a domestic violence incident or has been committed to a mental-health institution.

Kessler conceded that the proposals would run into opposition in the Republican-controlled Legislature. But he said he believed it would be hard for a legislator to vote against a measure that would require a mental health exam for those seeking a concealed-carry permit.

Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha), meanwhile, has suggested the state form a bipartisan commission on preventing violence.

After Kessler, Barnes and Goyke's news conference in Milwaukee, James E. Fendry, the head of the Wisconsin Pro-Gun Movement, expressed opposition to the proposals.

Gun enthusiasts use assault weapons for competitive shooting, he said, adding that it would be too costly a measure to ban certain bullets or assault weapons.

Fendry also said he had doubts about requiring mental heath examinations, arguing it would cause delays for people seeking permits for concealed-carry.

"The criminally insane can always get access to firearms," Fendry said.

Fendry said he was in favor of giving teachers and educators the right to carry firearms in schools as a means of protecting children from attacks like the rampage in Newtown.

He conceded, however, that parents of children might be uncomfortable knowing some teachers had firearms in their possession in the classroom or in a school.

Fendry said the proposals offered by the three Democrats didn't address the issue of violence. He said groups like his were in favor of laws that "attack the criminal use of firearms."

In an interview Tuesday, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele said he supported the Second Amendment and gun rights, but noted that all of the rights in the U.S. Constitution have some limits.

"It doesn't seem wildly unreasonable to me to have accountability," Abele said.

"The best way to celebrate and protect a right is to treat it responsibly."

Patrick Marley of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.