Michigan Senate Passes Life-Saving Gun Violence Prevention Measures, Michigan Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action Respond

Just Weeks After Shooting at MSU, Michigan Senate Passes Foundational Background Check, Secure Storage, Extreme Risk Gun Safety Legislation, Bills Await House Passage  

Lansing, Mich. —  The Michigan chapters of Moms Demand Action and Student Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statements applauding Michigan Senate lawmakers for voting to pass critical gun safety bills. Senate bills 76-86 includes legislation to: 

• Require the secure storage of firearms; 
• Require background checks for all unlicensed gun sales; and 
• Create an Extreme Risk law, which temporarily removes firearms from those who pose an immediate threat to themselves or others. 

The vote comes just weeks after the horrific shooting at Michigan State University, in which three students were shot and killed, and five others shot and wounded by a shooter who had previously exhibited dangerous warning signs. 

“It’s been just over a month since the MSU shooting. Classes have resumed. The news has quieted down. But for the students who lived through it, we’ve spent a month reliving it, we’re still on edge, ready to run for cover,” said Saylor Reinders, President of Michigan State University Students Demand Action. “Right now, Michigan has a real opportunity to make meaningful change for generations of students to come and our leaders are heeding that call. Voters have done our jobs, and now, lawmakers must do theirs.” 

“No other parent needs to experience my pain in losing their child to senseless gun violence,” said Mia Reid, a member of the Everytown Survivor Network, volunteer with the Michigan chapter of Moms Demand Action, and founder and CEO of the Charles Woodrow Reid Community Help Center. “We thank Michigan Senate lawmakers for understanding how critical these bills are in saving lives. This is a step in our fight for gun safety here in Michigan, but there remains much more work to be done, and we will continue calling for comprehensive gun violence measures.”

“Michigan Moms Demand Action volunteers have been working tirelessly to fight the gun violence epidemic for over a decade in Michigan,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, senior vice president of movement building for Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action. “We are proud to see action by the Michigan legislature and proof of our collective grassroots power. The time is now to get these life-saving bills over the finish line.”

In an average year, 1,382 people die and 2,437 are wounded by guns in Michigan. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Michigan, and an average of 103 children and teens die by guns every year, of which 31% are suicides and 64% are homicides. 

More information about gun violence in Michigan is available here.