Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee takes up 11-bill gun violence prevention package, hears supportive testimony from MSU, Oxford victims and families, Oakland County officials 

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: Photos of Sen. Bayer testifying are attached and video of her testimony is available here. 

 

LANSING, Mich. (March 2, 2023) — Today, Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-West Bloomfield) testified before the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee on Senate Bill 79, her child access protection legislation to require that firearms are properly secured when they could be accessible to minors. 

 

“This topic is top of mind for people all over the country, especially here in Michigan with the school shootings at Michigan State University and my hometown of Oxford. It is time to move our state forward on this issue and pass these critically important bills,” said Sen. Bayer. Gun violence is the Number One killer of children and young adults. In the states where these child access protection laws have been in effect, they have been proven to reduce the gun deaths of our nation’s children.” 

  

Sen. Bayer’s bill is part of a broader 11-bill gun violence prevention package introduced by Senate Democrats to encourage gun safety and help prevent acts of violence like the shootings at Michigan State University on Feb. 13, and Oxford High School on Nov. 30, 2021.  In addition to establishing child access protection laws, the legislation will also require universal background checks to close the private sale loophole and allow a court to issue an “Extreme Risk Protection Order” (ERPO) to take temporary possession of a firearm if the court finds that an individual is at risk of harming themselves or others. 

 

The committee also heard supportive testimony on the legislative package from a number of gun violence victims and family members, including students and parents from Michigan State University. Attorney General Dana Nessel and Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald also spoke in support of the bills, and Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter and Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard submitted written testimony in favor of the gun violence prevention legislation. 

 

BACKGROUND: 

Research has shown that safe storage practices play an important role in reducing gun violence. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends storing firearms locked, unloaded, and separate from ammunition.   

  

According to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, between 70-90% of guns used in youth suicides, unintentional shootings among children, and school shootings perpetrated by shooters under age 18 are acquired from their home or the homes of relatives or friends. Information from Everytown for Gun Safety shows that: 

  • At least 5.4 million children live in a home with at least one unlocked and loaded firearm.  

  • These improperly stored weapons have contributed to school shootings, suicides and the deaths of family members, including infants and toddlers.  

  • Nearly half of all parents with a weapon in the home wrongly believe their children don’t know where a gun is stored.

  • Guns used in about 68% of gun-related incidents at schools were taken from the home, a friend or relative.  

Eight states and Washington, D.C. currently have laws requiring owners to secure their firearms. Fifteen states have child access prevention laws that generally make gun owners liable if they fail to secure a gun that is accessed by a minor.   

  

According to a national 2022 GQR Poll, 81% of respondents support allowing individuals to be prosecuted for criminal negligence if they fail to safely store their firearms and their guns are used in an accident involving a child. 

 

###