- Michigan’s new gun regulations, which take effect Tuesday, include background checks for all gun purchases, safe storage requirements and red flag laws.
- The three new laws were part of a broader gun safety package that was first drafted in response to the 2021 Oxford High School shooting that left four students dead.
- Gun safety measures initially stalled in 2021, but gained momentum after Democrats captured both houses of Congress in the 2022 midterm elections.
Professor Marco Díaz Muñoz has spent the past year trying to cover up the images seared into his memory of the gunman who invaded a Michigan State University classroom, killed two students and seriously injured others. Ta.
He expects there will be an outpouring of emotion this week, the anniversary of the Feb. 13, 2023, mass shooting. The shooting, which also claimed the life of a third University Union student, terrorized the East Lansing campus for nearly four hours.
“It was the sixth week. It was February. Classes were from 7 to 9 p.m. It was cold. And I was going to teach the exact same lectures and lessons,” Díaz Muñoz told AP told the news agency. “So everything I do is a reminder of what happened.”
Michigan State University shooting leaves 3 dead and 5 injured.Suspect dies from self-inflicted gunshot wound
Tuesday’s classes were canceled and a vigil was planned in memory of the three students who lost their lives: Brian Fraser, Ariel Anderson and Alexandria Varner.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer speaks at Canvas Kickoff on August 2, 2022 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Whitmer signed a comprehensive gun safety package that includes background checks, safe storage requirements and red flag laws in response to the 2023 Michigan State University shooting. (Bill Priano/Getty Images)
Tuesday is also the day Michigan’s sweeping new gun regulations go into effect, implementing background checks for all gun purchases, safe storage requirements and red flag laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders.
“We cannot undo the tragedy,” said Díaz Muñoz, who testified in support of the new law. “Nothing can make up for that. But there is hope in moving forward and pushing for change.”
Classes resume at Michigan building where mass shooting occurred
Anyone who wants to purchase a gun in Michigan must pass a background check, and gun owners must securely store all firearms and ammunition in the presence of minors.
Red flag laws allow family members, law enforcement, mental health professionals, roommates and ex-partners to petition a judge to remove firearms from people they believe pose an imminent threat to themselves or others.
The three new laws are part of a broader gun safety package first drafted in response to the 2021 Oxford High School shooting that left four students dead and others, including a teacher, injured. Ta.
A Michigan jury last week convicted the shooter’s mother of manslaughter, making her the first parent in the United States to hold a child responsible for a school shooting. Access to the gun was an issue at trial, with investigators claiming Jennifer and James Crumbley failed to properly secure the gun. James Crumbley will go on trial on the same charges next month.
Gun safety measures were initially stalled in 2021 when Congress was under Republican control, but gained momentum after Democrats captured both houses of Congress in the 2022 midterm elections. The MSU shooting ramped up efforts, with Oxford University and MSU students rallying at the Capitol to demand stricter gun control.
“We knew we could pass these bills with a majority, so our plan was to get them ready and try to get them through the Senate as quickly as possible,” said State Sen. Rosemary Beyer. “It was,” he said. , who represented Oxford and was a leading advocate for gun control.
“Then the Michigan State incident happened and the governor looked at us and said, ‘We want to do it now,'” Beyer said.
The safe custody and background checks were approved two months after the MSU shooting after weeks of testimony from people affected by the shooting and other gun violence. The red flag law was even more controversial and was signed into law by Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer just one month later.
And in November, Whitmer signed a new bill banning individuals with domestic violence convictions (even misdemeanors) from owning firearms for at least eight years.
Gun control advocates aren’t done yet. MSU students plan to meet with lawmakers and stage a sit-in at the Capitol on Thursday to “demand continued action to prevent gun violence.”
Democrats are on record as saying they intend to go further, with some leaders willing to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. However, the resignation of two Democratic members of Congress has caused a temporary deadlock in the state legislature, and it will likely be necessary to wait until April or later.
One Michigan State University shooting victim remains in critical condition, four others stable
Questions remain about how well the new law will be implemented. Red flag measures have faced local opposition in the state, which has a strong gun ownership culture. More than half of the state’s counties have passed resolutions declaring them Second Amendment “sanctuaries” in opposition to laws they believe violate gun rights.
Red flag laws have been touted as the most powerful tool to prevent gun violence before they occur, but a 2022 Associated Press analysis found that they are rarely used in states where they exist. found. The analysis found that since 2020, firearms have been removed from people 15,049 times, fewer than 10 per 100,000 adult residents, far too rare to reduce the number of deaths.
“I think this is the beginning,” Díaz Muñoz said. “The violence and epidemics we’re seeing are symptoms of something else. And unless we address something else, no amount of gun control will stop us from seeing what’s going on. You can’t completely prevent it, or you can’t minimize what’s happening to a greater extent.”
