LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – For some of the biggest proponents of more gun legislation in the legislature, the fight against guns is also personal. 

Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention Caucus Leader, State Senator Rosemary Bayer (D-Keego Harbor) lost a childhood neighbor and cousin to suicide according to the Detroit Free Press.  Meanwhile, in the House of Representatives, Representative Brenda Carter (D-Pontiac) who helps lead the caucus, has also lost a family member to a firearm. 

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In past years, the Democrat Minority has not had success in passing more gun safety measures but with a majority now in the House and Senate, discussions of revisiting certain proposals have begun.  In particular, universal background checks, red flag laws, and safe storage requirements, all of which have been publicly supported by the Governor, are up for debate. 

“I think we’re going to see more things,” Bayer said according to Freep, but she said lawmakers should move deliberately to address gun safety. “I really, truly don’t want to get to where it looks like we’re out of control and just going to lock down everything and then get a big pushback, right? We’re trying to be sensible, listen to the people and go at a pace that everybody can accept.”

Carter has said that revisiting the stand your ground law is on her radar.  This law permits citizens to use deadly force to protect themselves if they have reason to believe their life is in danger.  “A person can use deadly force and have no duty at all to retreat when there is an honestly held and reasonable belief that deadly force can be used to prevent imminent death, a sexual assault to you or another person or to protect yourself or another person from great bodily harm,” according to the Criminal Defense Law Center of West Michignan.   

Michigan Department of Health and Human Services data from 2014-21 shows that suicides accounted for the majority of gun deaths in Michigan.  According to April Zeoli, the Director of the Policy Core for the Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention at the University of Michigan, there might be data to support ending Michigan’s no waiting period when purchasing a firearm. 

The hypothesized reason waiting periods are associated with a reduction in firearm homicides and suicides is that a buffer between purchasing and obtaining a firearm can give those who buy a firearm to harm someone or themselves some time to rethink their plans Zeoli said. 

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The FBI data from the Instant Criminal Background Check System reveals that since the pandemic, gun purchases – as associated with background checks – have nationally been on the decrease with 39,695,315 in 2020, then 38,876,673 in 2021 and to 31,596,646 in 2022.  Adjusted for population, there were roughly 78.6 firearm background checks for 1,000 people, making Michigan the 24th lowest rate among states.  The highest state, Kentucky, averaged roughly 890.1 background checks per 1,000 people in 2022. 

While Bayer has not yet introduced any formal legislation, she did introduce legislation in 2021, SB 0550 which would fall under the safe storage laws, and SB 0454 which would amend the law pertaining to background checks for the purchase of firearms.