A package of bills approved last year by the Democrat-controlled Legislature, set to go into effect Feb. 13, will require people with a minor in their home or those who know “reasonably” a minor will come into their home to store their firearms safely. The guns must be unloaded and locked with a trigger-locking mechanism or stored in a locked storage container.
The legislation, which passed last spring, came after the Feb. 13, 2023, mass shooting on Michigan State University’s campus and Nov. 30, 2021, attack at Oxford High School. Firearm injuries are the leading cause of death among U.S. kids and teens, according to a 2023 study based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Michigan is set to become one of 26 states, along with Washington, D.C., that passed child access or secure storage laws, according to the nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety.
Dr. Rebeccah Sokol’s work around youth-centered firearm-violence prevention research is highlighted in this discussion in The Detroit News about legislation taking effect this year