Austin Hunt holds up a sign with current and former Michigan State University students during a protest at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich., Wednesday, February 15, 2023, after A gunman opened fire on the Michigan State University campus on Monday night.
Paul Sanya/AP
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Paul Sanya/AP
Austin Hunt holds up a sign with current and former Michigan State University students during a protest at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich., Wednesday, February 15, 2023, after A gunman opened fire on the Michigan State University campus on Monday night.
Paul Sanya/AP
After a gunman killed three students and injured five others on the Michigan State University campus this week, Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer urged state lawmakers to pass control measures. Tighter gun control.
“As parents, we tell our kids it’s going to be okay. We always say that,” Whitmer said at a news conference on Tuesday. “But the truth is that words are not enough. We must act and we will.”
For the first time in 40 years, the Democrats control the state legislature and the governor’s office. That leaves Democrats hoping to pass stricter gun laws.
However, the state’s Republicans are seeking to reach consensus on laws that focus on mental health services.
Democrats’ proposed measures include universal background checkso-called red flag law – a court order ordering the police to confiscate an individual’s firearm – and keep it safe.
“Whether it’s mass shootings, murders or suicides, we know that there’s no single bill or policy that can make it all go away overnight,” said the Democratic Leader. State Senate number Winnie Brinks said Tuesday.
“But… we can take action to improve the lives of people in our state and prevent tragedies like this from happening in the future,” Brinks added.
A majority of Michigan voters have expressed support for tighter gun laws. ONE statewide poll released in December found 90% in favor of background checks on gun buyers and 74% in favor of courts taking guns away from people deemed dangerous to themselves or others.
Similar measures, including red flags and safe storage laws, has been suggested before in Michigan – including after the mass shooting at Oxford High School in 2021 – but those efforts were unsuccessful under the then Republican-controlled legislature.
Although Democrats now have control of the state legislature, securing additional gun laws can still be a challenge. Their majority is only one vote in the House and Senate.
The state is also home to a thriving gun culture, and the Michigan State Constitution includes the right to bear arms. Unlike the US Constitution, Michigan also has a self-defense clause.
But the state’s Democrats say their Republican colleagues have had gun control opportunities in the past and they wouldn’t pass up the opportunity without fighting.
