VICTORY FOR GUN SAFETY: Everytown for Gun Safety Statement on Governor Whitmer Signing Three Critical Gun Violence Prevention Bills Into Law

LANSING, Mich. - Today, Everytown for Gun Safety, and its grassroots network, Michigan chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, released the following statements after Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed into law three gun violence prevention measures. The policies include legislation to facilitate Medicaid reimbursement for critical services provided by community violence intervention organizations, legislation to ensure crime guns and guns collected from buyback programs are destroyed, and legislation to require secure firearm storage notifications in schools. Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers, alongside gun violence survivors, advocated tirelessly to get these policies over the finish line. With Michigan losing its gun sense trifecta this month, lame-duck session was a crucial opportunity for lawmakers to take action on gun safety.

"Everytown is grateful to all the grassroots advocates and statehouse champions who pushed hard to get these lifesaving bills over the finish line before the legislative clock ran out," said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. "While the balance of power in Lansing will shift in the next session, one thing won't change: Everytown's commitment to doing whatever we can to pass common-sense measures to keep guns out of the wrong hands."

"Michigan's gun sense trifecta has worked hand in hand with our movement to pass lifesaving gun safety laws up until the last possible moment," said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. "Although Lansing's incoming political landscape will pose new challenges for us, we're not going anywhere. The state has seen what is possible when it comes to addressing this crisis, and our Michigan moms and students are in it for the long haul."

After electing a gun-sense trifecta in 2022, legislators in Michigan took action to enact a comprehensive gun safety package that included multiple foundational gun safety policies, including an extreme risk law, secure storage requirements, a comprehensive background check system, and a bipartisan law to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers.

In Michigan, over 1,400 people are killed by firearms every year and nearly 3,000 more are wounded by guns. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Michigan with an average of 115 children and teens dying by guns every year. More about gun violence in Michigan is available here.