Protestors in support of gun safety legislation hold their signs up and chant to block the signs and chants of counter-protestors during a rally with former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords on March 15, 2023. (Andrew Roth/Michigan Advance)
Gun control advocacy groups are celebrating Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s decision to sign a package of bills requiring schools to inform parents of the state’s new safe storage requirements for firearms.
Michigan’s safe storage laws require that any firearms in homes or vehicles with children, even if the children are visiting or the guns belong to visitors, be stored in a safe or with a lock.
The safe storage requirements went into effect last year, but advocates say that the regulations will only be effective if gun owners are aware of them.
Under new laws signed last week by Whitmer, schools will be required to distribute information designed by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services each October, beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
“It’s not just a good idea; it’s not just a suggestion; it’s the law,” said End Gun Violence Michigan Executive Director Ryan Bates. “You must safely store your firearms, and if someone is harmed with a gun that you didn’t lock down, the gun owner can be prosecuted for felonies.”
“That’s a stiff penalty, because the consequences of unsecured firearms are so great,” Bates said.
State Rep. Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Twp.), who sponsored one of the bills in the package, said that enforcing the new laws is difficult, since law enforcement would likely only hear about potential violations if the firearms were used – at which point it may be too late to prevent someone from being harmed.
“Safely securing firearms to keep them out of reach of children will undoubtedly save lives, but we’re unlikely to know when families are failing to follow these important laws until it’s too late,” Brixie said.
Brixie said the notifications will be especially helpful for gun owners whose circumstances change, such as becoming parents for the first time, marrying into families with children or moving to Michigan from a state with different requirements for gun ownership.
“It doesn’t create any stricter laws or put any additional burden on responsible gun owners,” Brixie said. “It empowers responsible gun owners by ensuring that they know the law and exactly how to fulfill the requirements, including where to obtain free or low-cost gun locks and gun safes.”
State Rep. Sharon MacDonell (D-Troy), another sponsor of the package, said that “children and unlocked firearms can be a lethal combination.”
MacDonell pointed to data showing that nearly half of all suicides among children under the age of 18 involved a firearm and that approximately 70% of firearms used in school shootings were taken from the home of a parent or a family friend.
“Imagine all the tragedies that could have been avoided if those guns were just locked up,” MacDonell said.
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