LANSING, Mich. – Michigan Republicans have again blocked any sort of movement on gun safety laws introduced by Democrats after a new push following multiple mass shootings in the U.S.
It’s been six months since the mass shooting at Oxford High School, and nothing pertaining to guns has changed in Michigan, despite attempts from Michigan Senate and House Democrats, who have introduced several proposed laws and changes. Democrats are in the minority in both state houses.
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After the Uvalde school shooting, which ended with 19 children murdered, along with two teachers, Michigan Democrats attempted to revive bills on the Senate floor, but were blocked by Republicans.
Related: Data: Number of active shooter incidents rising sharply in the US
One of the biggest bills, the Safe Storage Package -- a set of bills from both the Senate and House -- would require properly securing firearms to prevent accidental injury or death when the firearms could be accessible to minors. Democrats moved to bring the package to the floor, but the motion was rejected, and the package of bills was sent back to a committee, where Democrats said “bills go to die.”
Other bills proposed by Democrats include requiring universal background checks on all gun sales, allowing local governments to ban guns on property they own or lease, and prohibiting selling or possessing a magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition with some exception. All of those bills were introduced in 2021, and many of them before the Oxford shooting. None of these bills were brought up this week.
Related: Michigan lawmakers address needed changes to help prevent school shootings
Senate Democratic Leader Jim Ananich said on Twitter, “Rather than hear Michigan Senate Democratic voices calling for action on gun violence, today the GOP ended session without allowing senators their right to deliver statements. If they want to be silent about children dying at school, that’s their choice. But they will not win at silencing us.”
Michigan State Rep. Mari Manoogian (MI-40) offered an amendment on the House floor to tie the gun storage package to a bill on critical incident mapping in school safety response plans, but it was rejected by Republicans. “We absolutely need to do the bare minimum today to keep firearms out of the hands of young people.”
Related: A look at Michigan’s somewhat confusing gun laws
There doesn’t appear to be enough support from Republicans to change any gun safety law in Michigan.