In the Last Days of 2024 Michigan Legislative Session, Lawmakers Advance Legislation to Ban Ghost Guns and Require Secure Firearm Storage Notifications

Committees Also Held Hearings on Other Gun Safety Legislation, Including Legislation to Hold the Gun Industry Accountable and Empower Gun Violence Victims, and Legislation to Sustain Funding for Critical Community Violence Intervention Work

LANSING, Mich. - Today, the Michigan chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety's grassroots network, released the following statements after the Michigan legislature advanced critical gun safety legislation out of committee. Legislation to ban ghost guns (SB 1149/1150) advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and legislation to require secure firearm storage notifications (HB 5450) advanced out of the Senate Education Committee. And tomorrow, legislation to hold the gun industry accountable for its role in the gun violence epidemic and to empower gun violence victims, will be heard in the House Judiciary Committee.

"Preventing gun violence, especially for our children, takes all of us - which is why we're grateful that the Senate has advanced legislation that recognizes the important role school districts can play in educating parents on how to save lives," said Skye Theitten, lead with the Michigan chapter of Moms Demand Action. "Firearms are the leading cause of death for children and teens in Michigan, and we need to utilize every opportunity possible to keep our kids safe, including ensuring that firearms are securely stored. We're grateful to Representative MacDonnell for her leadership and will keep advocating for legislators to pass this critical bill and get it sent to Governor Whitmer's desk."

"No one should have to go through the trauma of learning that your child has been shot and may not survive. At 17, my son was badly injured with a ghost gun and suffers the consequences to this day. Michigan lawmakers have the opportunity to take action to ensure no other family suffers our fate," said Denise Wieck, a volunteer lead with Moms Demand Action and a gun violence survivor. "Today, Michigan Senators on the Judiciary Committee sent a clear message that they are committed to acting in the best interest of Michigan families and saving lives. We hope the entire Legislature will follow suit in these last couple of days of session and explicitly ban ghost guns. Our gun violence crisis is real and it is already here - immediate action is needed."

In Michigan, over 1,400 people are killed by firearms every year-with the majority of those deaths being firearm suicides. More about gun violence in Michigan is available here.

After electing a gun-sense trifecta in 2022, legislators in Michigan took action to enact a comprehensive gun safety package that included multiple foundational gun safety policies, including an extreme risk law, secure storage requirements, a comprehensive background check system, and a bipartisan law to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Just last month, Michigan lawmakers took action to address the growing threat of armed intimidation at the voting booth, passing a bill prohibiting the possession of firearms near polling locations and other electoral facilities.

With the gun sense trifecta losing its majority this coming January, lawmakers need to act with urgency and pass gun safety policies while we have this advantage. Lawmakers are considering the following gun safety legislation:

• Legislation to crack down on the proliferation of unregulated and untraceable ghost guns (SB 1149/1150), which advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee today.

• Legislation to hold the gun industry accountable for their part in the gun violence epidemic and empower gun violence victims (HB 6184), which is expected to be voted on in the House Judiciary Committee tomorrow.

• Legislation to sustain funding for critical community violence intervention (CVI) work, including passing a budget amendment to allocate Medicaid reimbursement funding to fund community-based organizations ((HB 6460), which is expected to be heard in the House Health Committee on Thursday.