LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Less than one week after a gunman opened fire at a Rochester Hills splash pad and injured 9 people, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed an Executive Order 2024-4 to establish the Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.

Gov. Whitmer said the actions build on what she calls “commonsense gun violence prevention laws” pushed by Michigan Democrats and enacted in February. Those laws included background checks, safe storage requirements, extreme risk protection orders, and stronger penalties for those convicted of domestic abuse.

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“Michiganders deserve to feel safe everywhere—whether they’re picking up their kids from school or grocery shopping for the week ahead,” said Governor Whitmer. “I want to thank all of the Michiganders who have been strong advocates for reducing gun violence, including the families of the four Oxford students, for working with us to get this done. Together, we can reduce violence and save lives.”

While Whitmer calls it “building on” the work of her fellow Democrats and recently signed gun prevention legislation, it begs the question of why a task force is needed at all. Oakland County Sheriff’s officials identified Saturday’s splash pad shooter as 42-year-old Michael William Nash. The gun recovered at the scene belonged to the shooter. He later killed himself at home, where he had been living with his mother.

Nash has been described as a person with “mental illness” but had no criminal background. Part of the new gun laws passed include an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) law. It allows the courts to temporarily prevent people deemed a risk to themselves or others from having or buying firearms.

Task forces and layered bureaucracy has been a consistent part of the Whitmer administration. Last July, she created the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP). Group members, which are hand-selected by the governor, will work with the Michigan Department of Education and its elected members.