LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Some Democrat lawmakers have made gun legislation for the new term a priority, particularly safe storage and red flag gun laws.
Democrats want to pursue legislation for extreme risk protection orders, more commonly known as a red flag gun law, said Senator Rosemary Bayer (D-West Bloomfield).
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During the previous term, Senator Bayer introduced legislation that was referred to committee but never came to fruition under the Republican majority House. House Bill 0858 would not go into effect unless Senate Bill No. 856 of the same year went into law – that bill introduced would “provide for the issuance of restraining orders prohibiting certain individuals from possessing or purchasing firearms and ordering the surrender and seizure of a restrained individual’s firearms; to provide for the powers and duties of certain state and local governmental officers and entities; to prescribe penalties; and to provide remedies.” While both were referred to committees, neither passed in the Senate.
“We need to stop the spread of gun violence, which is an epidemic not just in Michigan, but across the country,” Sen. Bayer said in a statement. “This is commonsense legislation that would prevent suicides, protect women from domestic violence, and stop mass shooters from carrying out a planned attack. As legislators, we have a responsibility to act and provide law enforcement with the tools they need to keep our communities safe.”
Groups advocating for more gun legislation such as End Gun Violence have also been working with House Democrats in an attempt to get more gun laws passed within the first 100 days of the session according to the group.
“We’re not talking about taking anyone’s guns away,” Michigan President of Gifford’s Gun Owners for Safety Jonathan Gold said after a recent rally, “we’re talking about making the state of Michigan safer, especially for its most vulnerable citizens.”
Gold could not name all of the many House Democrats that the group has been working with but mentioned that Representatives Brenda Carter (D) Pontiac, Kelly Breene (D) Novi, and Ranjeev Puri (D) Canton are big champions for gun safety.
If Michigan were to pass a red flag law, it would become the 20th state to do so behind 19 other states and Washington, D.C. During Governor Whitmer’s second inauguration, she voiced her support for gun reforms.
“Let’s reduce gun violence – the number one killer of kids in this country – by pursuing common sense reforms here,” Gov. Whitmer said during the inauguration; reforms which included red flag laws, increasing background checks and secure storage laws.
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