LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Faith leaders from across the state gathered at the Capitol today to stand with the students who survived the MSU shooting and call for the passage of new proposed gun violence measures.
“We have truly lost our way as a society: gun violence is now the number one cause of death for our children. No parent should have to worry as they send their children off to school whether they’re kissing them good-bye for the last time. From Detroit to East Lansing, our kids need to be safe from gun violence, and these proposals would be tremendous progress,” said Bishop Bonnie A. Perry of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan
The proposed measures largely mirror what gun violence advocates have been calling for:
-Safe storage laws, to ensure that guns in homes with children are locked and secured. When the Republican legislature in Florida instituted a safe storage law, youth firearm deaths went down by 52%.
-Universal background checks to ensure that those convicted of dangerous crimes are not able to purchase firearms, including assault rifles.
-Extreme Risk Protection Orders (sometimes called ‘Red Flag’ laws) that allow a family member, law enforcement officer or mental health professional to ask a judge to temporarily remove firearms from an individual that appears to present an imminent threat to themselves or others. These laws are proven to be effective at preventing suicide and can be used to stop mass shootings.
“As students, we need to be heard: we have grown up with this violence, and this should not be our reality. We are scared, unsure of how to cope, and do not know what the future brings. This happened to our home, and could have been prevented. While our community grieves, we will not stop until no other student has to endure the nightmare of another school shooting. The students have said repeatedly: we demand change, and we will fight to ensure that we are not another statistic.”,” said Carl Austin Miller Grondin, Michigan State University Student Body Vice President.
Faith leaders from the Episcopal, Methodist, Baptist, and Jewish traditions spoke in support of the proposals and commended the activism of MSU students, whose protests after the mass shooting at their university helped energize the current debate.
