Michigan governor signs universal background check and firearm safe storage laws
Misty Severi
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Gun owners in Michigan now need to undergo a universal background check for all gun sales and keep a more secure hold on their firearms if children are nearby, according to two new gun laws Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI) signed on Thursday.
One of the laws requires anyone who does not have a gun license to take a federal criminal background check before purchasing a gun. Prior Michigan law only required background checks for pistol purchases but not long gun or shotgun purchases.
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“Universal background checks will help keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals, domestic abusers, and people on terrorism watch lists and no-fly lists,” Whitmer said during the signing ceremony at Michigan State University, where a man opened fire at two locations on the campus two months earlier.
“We see the horrific impacts of gun violence playing out every single day. In the most ordinary situations, we see extraordinary violence. Gun violence is a scourge that is unique to this country, and that’s why we are taking action,” she added.
Police officers in East Lansing found the 43-year-old suspect dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound off campus after an hourslong manhunt. The shooting itself left three students dead and five others injured.
The other gun law requires adults who live with children to keep the firearms in a secure location, such as a locked box or container, or lock the firearm with a device that makes the firearm inoperable by any person other than the owner or an authorized user.
The state House also passed a red flag law on Thursday. Whitmer is expected to sign it if the legislation passes in the state Senate.
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“These are measures which will allow family and friends and law enforcement who are concerned about someone who is seeking to harm themselves or others to seek a court order to temporarily confiscate those firearms,” Whitmer said.
People who fail to secure their firearms safely could face a misdemeanor charge and up to 93 days in prison if a minor takes the gun and uses it threateningly. They could also face a fine of up to $500.