Today, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed gun violence prevention bills that will establish universal background checks for all firearm purchases and safe storage requirements. In January, Governor Whitmer proposed this legislation during her State of the State address and has worked with the Michigan Legislature, community groups, law enforcement, students and parents following February’s shooting at Michigan State University and the shooting at Oxford High School in November 2021, to get these commonsense measures that will reduce gun violence signed into law.
“Today, we are turning our pain into purpose and honoring those we have lost with commonsense gun violence prevention legislation supported by a majority of Michiganders,” Whitmer said. “Universal background checks and safe storage are long-overdue steps we are proud to take today that will save lives by keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and domestic abusers and children in the home. I want to thank my partners in the legislature for getting this done, the advocates who fought so hard to make this happen, and every Michigander impacted by gun violence who shared their stories. We will keep working together to prevent mass shootings, reduce gun violence, and save lives.”
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin — who represents Livingston County — was on hand for today’s bill signing, which she called a “historic moment for Michigan, marking the most significant statewide action on gun violence in decades.”
“It’s an incredible victory, and I’m so proud of the Michigan Legislature, the student advocates and parent groups, and especially the Oxford and MSU families, who worked so hard to make this happen,” Slotkin said. “It’s how government is supposed to work, and sets the standard for the entire country on how to respond with action in the face of a tragedy.”
“The bills signed into law today are proof that we don’t need to accept the false choice between gun ownership and gun safety for our kids. Drawn directly from the shootings at Michigan State University and Oxford High School, this legislation will require universal background checks and safe storage of firearms – landmark, common sense provisions that will undoubtedly save lives.
“I was joined today by families from MSU and Oxford, places I represented, where I saw firsthand how gun violence can rip a hole in the heart of a community. I was thinking of them, and the many students, teachers, and families that I’ve met since those tragedies. Today’s victory is for them and all of the Michiganders whose lives have been upended by the gun violence epidemic, and I’m looking forward to the additional gun violence prevention legislation on the way.”
Drawn directly from the shootings at Michigan State University and Oxford High School, the package of legislation will require universal background checks for gun purchases and safe storage of firearms.
Whitmer signed Senate Bills 79, 80, 81, and 82 and House Bills 4138 and 4142.
Senate Bill 79, sponsored by state Senator Bayer (D- West Bloomfield), will protect children by requiring an individual to keep a firearm being stored or left unattended on a premises unloaded and locked with a locking device or stored in a locked box or container if it is reasonably known that a minor is or is likely to be present on the premises and establish a range of penalties for a violation. The bill will also require the Department of Health and Human Services to inform the public of the penalties, publish lethal means counseling literature, and provide that literature to federally licensed firearms dealers and revise the wording of a notice that a federally licensed firearms dealer must post on the premises where firearms are sold.
Senate Bill 80, sponsored by state Senator McDonald Rivet (D-Bay City) is the senator’s first public act. The legislation updates the state’s criminal code for safe storage of firearms for child access protection.
Senate Bills 81 and 82, sponsored by state Senators Irwin and Hertel, lower the costs of firearm safety devices to ensure owners can safely store their guns, keeping them away from children and out of the hands of criminals.
House Bills 4138 and 4142, sponsored by state Representatives Churches and Carter, protect Michigan communities by closing loopholes in the law and expanding universal background checks to all firearms.
