Mark Pocan: “I would like to introduce you to Caroline Nosal. Caroline was described by her friends as wonderful and sassy. She had a…”

“I would like to introduce you to Caroline Nosal. Caroline was described by her friends as wonderful and sassy. She had a sharp wit and would say exactly what she thought. Friends said she was a vibrant friend with a great smile. Her parents said she was curious, caring, and kind. She loved books. She wasn't a bookish person, but she loved books, all kinds of books. Once with a friend shopping in a used bookstore, she picked up an old, well-read copy of an 18th century animal husbandry book, a subject she knew nothing about but just wanted to get because it was new to her. She did that a lot. She was passionate about animals as well. Once while driving to work, she accidentally hit a bird. She stopped, put it in a box, and took it to the Humane Society on her way to work. Even though she was late to work, she knew she had done the right thing. But in early February of this year, in Madison, Wisconsin, Caroline Nosal was shot to death by a troubled, disgruntled coworker who used to harass her and who had just bought a gun 24 hours earlier. Only months before this tragedy occurred, Governor Scott Walker and the legislature in Wisconsin changed a decades-old Wisconsin law that had required a 48-hour waiting period to buy a handgun, a measure that, if in place, might have saved Caroline.…”