Michigan’s safe gun storage and red flag laws adopted largely in response to mass shootings at Oxford High School and Michigan State University have been in effect for two years now.
One law requires guns to be unloaded and locked if they are in a place where minors might be present. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says it has distributed 110,600 free gun locks in the past two years as part of the safe storage law.
“No one should have to fear gun violence at home, school, church, work or as they go about their daily lives,” said Governor Gretchen Whitmer in a statement released Friday by her office. “I was proud to sign the secure storage law, one of several commonsense gun safety measures to keep Michiganders safe. By keeping guns properly stored, ensuring Michigan families know the proper way to store their firearms and distributing free gun locks, we can prevent misuse and avoid senseless tragedies.”
Another law allows judges to issue extreme risk protection orders to temporarily seize guns from people deemed a risk to themselves or others.
“We are seeing cases where there was a threat, law enforcement removed firearms, and the threat isn’t there anymore,” said April Zeoli, director of the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention at the University of Michigan.
View the full story from Michigan Public Radio
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