Michigan Democrats say 'nothing is off the table' on gun reform as they use their majority to push 11 bills after experiencing 2 recent mass shootings
Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
- Michigan Democrats are pushing for stricter gun laws following two mass shootings, The Associated Press.
- The party is calling for universal background checks and safe storage laws, among other measures.
- It comes after the shootings at Michigan State university and Oxford High School.
Michigan Democrats are pushing a package of 11 gun reform bills following two deadly mass shootings in the state, which has renewed calls for stricter laws across the country.
The package of legislation is poised to be introduced thos week, The Associated Press reported, and includes universal background checks and safe storage laws, among other measures.
It comes after a 43-year-old man fatally shot three people and injured multiple others last month at Michigan State University. The incident occurred just months after the 2021 mass shooting at Oxford High School — about 80 miles away from MSU — that left four students dead. Because of its proximity, some students experienced both attacks.
State Democrats argued that so-called red flag laws, which allow law enforcement or family members to petition to restrict an at-risk individual's firearm access, could have possibly prevented incidents like the Oxford shooting, according to the AP.
"We have children in Michigan who are living through their second school shooting in under a year and a half," Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin of Michigan said at a police press conference for the MSU shooting. "If this is not a wake-up call to do something, I don't know what is."
The legislation also has provisions that individuals obtain a license as well as undergo a criminal background check and register upon purchasing, TIME reported.
Meanwhile, in Washington, gun reform has stalled as President Joe Biden has been calling for action to curb gun violence. Last year, Democrats in Michigan were able to secure control in the House and Senate, a historic feat that shifted the power from Republicans in 40 years., The Detroit Free Press reported.
"Nothing is off the table. But every state has a culture. So I think we're trying to be conscious of Michigan and how we do things," State Sen. Rosemary Bayer, a Democrat, said, the outlet reported.