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Legal Information: Wisconsin

State Gun Laws

Updated: 
December 14, 2023

If the abuser's gun is taken away, what will happen to it?

When you get a domestic abuse restraining order/injunction, the judge will generally order the abuser to give surrender his/her guns within 48 hours. The firearms will be surrendered (given) to the sheriff (either in the county where your court case is taking place or in the county where the abuser lives) or to another person that the abuser suggests who is approved by the judge.2 If the gun is given to a sheriff, the sheriff will issue a receipt that includes the date on which the firearm was surrendered and the manufacturer, model, and serial number of the firearm. The sheriff can store the gun at a warehouse at the abuser’s expense.2 You can read more about the process for surrendering a firearm on our Selected Wisconsin Statutes page.

1 Wis. Stat. §§ 813.12(4m)(a)(2); 813.1285(1g)(a)
2 Wis. Stat. § 813.1285(6)(a), (6)(e)(1)

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