Michigan Democratic leaders to introduce 3 gun safety measures in wake of MSU shooting
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Democratic lawmakers responding to the deadly shootings at Michigan State University said Tuesday that they have a new opportunity to introduce legislation to address gun violence in the state that stalled in the past. While they provided a general outline of bills they plan to put forward, exact details on the forthcoming proposals and timing of their proposals remain unclear.
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said during her State of the State address last month that she wants lawmakers to send three gun safety measures her way to enact universal background checks, allow extreme risk protection orders to keep guns away from those deemed a danger to themselves or others and institute safe storage requirements.
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, called the proposals "commonsense" measures that enjoy public support during a news briefing Tuesday.
"Then we'll go from there," Brinks said of the possibility lawmakers will pursue additional changes.
State Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-West Bloomfield, who helps lead the Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention Caucus said that action in Lansing to address gun violence is long overdue.
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"We are hearing the calls, we've been hearing the calls. And we have been trying to address this for years," she said.
During the last legislative session, Democratic lawmakers introduced gun safety bills that stalled under GOP control. But Democrats flipped both chambers of the state Legislature in the 2022 midterm election.
Bayer said lawmakers "finally... have an opportunity" to pursue legislation on gun violence.
Brinks and Bayer told reporters that they couldn't provide a timeline for when lawmakers will introduce the bills but said that would come soon and that they hope Republicans will support them.
The effort will focus more broadly on curbing all forms of gun violence in Michigan, they said.
"As we propose this legislation, it isn't just about what happened last night," said Brinks. "Whether it's mass shootings, homicides or suicide, we know that there is not one bill or one policy that can make all of that go away overnight." But she said action from lawmakers can help prevent shootings in the future.
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In addition to a trio of proposals outlined in her State of the State address, Whitmer wants lawmakers to fund the creation of a new Office of Community Violence Intervention Services to partner with community-based organizations working to reduce violence across the state.
Clara Hendrickson fact-checks Michigan issues and politics as a corps member with Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support her work at bit.ly/freepRFA. Contact her at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743. Follow her on Twitter @clarajanehen.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Dems to introduce gun safety legislation after MSU shooting
