Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
LANSING, MI — A Democratic Senator who represents the district that includes Oxford, Michigan, is pushing a series of new gun control bills that would limit the sale of gun magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
Democrats from the Michigan House and Senate joined Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-Beverly Hills, at a press conference Thursday morning at the state Capitol to announce the bill package.
Bayer called gun violence an epidemic, adding that “thoughts and prayers” won’t be enough to head off future tragedy like what happened in Oxford.
Senate Bills 785 and 786 and House Bills 5627 and 5628 would prohibit the sale and possession of firearm magazines that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition. The bill would make selling or owning high-capacity magazines a misdemeanor.
Those who own firearms with high capacity magazines before Jan. 1, 2023 would need to report it to their local law enforcement agency in order to continue legal ownership of the gun.
Colorado, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, Hawaii, California, Vermont and Washington D.C. currently have similar laws in place.
A magazine stores and feeds ammunition attached to a repeating firearm. High-capacity magazines allow the shooter to continue firing repeatedly without needing to reload. The time it takes to change one during a mass shooting event could be life-saving, Bayer said.
Ethan Crumbley is accused of shooting and killing four fellow Oxford High School students and wounding seven others, including a teacher, during the Nov. 30 tragedy.
Crumbley used a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, possibly stored in his backpack, to carry out the shooting, according to the Oakland County prosecutor. The 15-year-old had 18 live bullets in his possession at the time of his arrest, according to the Oakland County sheriff. Investigators found 30 spent casings and three magazines at the scene.
Bayer said that the timing of the legislation wasn’t directly tied to the shooting, but lawmakers can’t wait for the next incident.
“The majority party has chosen to do nothing for years,” Bayer said. “We need to work together on this. It’s critically important and we really cannot wait any longer,” Bayer said.
Dr. Sharon Swindell, a pediatrician and former president of the Michigan Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said that lowering Michigan’s gun violence rate will take legislative policy, changes in safety protocols and mental health assessments.
“The end goal is the same: we want all of our kids to grow up healthy and safe,” Swindell said. “Guns are the second leading cause of death in children and teens in Michigan, these are the primary victims of gun violence... Children and teens are watching and listening and absorbing reaction to these tragedies.”
Democrats gave no indication Thursday that there’s any interest in the measures from Republican colleagues. With Republicans in control of the state House and Senate, the bills are unlikely to advance without bipartisan support.
Republican leadership in recent days has signaled a reluctance to work with Democrats on gun safety bills, with some Republicans accusing Democrats of inappropriately using the recent school shooting to advance their agenda, which includes stricter gun laws.
“We could, I suppose, spend a lot of our time focusing on eliminating every risk that we have, because there’s a lot of them,” Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, told reporters at the Capitol Wednesday. “But if we get obsessed with eliminating all risks, we will then develop and evolve into a country we won’t recognize because we’ll also have no freedom. It’s a balance.”
Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, slammed Shirkey as “callous” by making “remarks that imply that children killing children is simply the price that we pay in this country.”
Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Vulcan, then reacted to McMorrow’s comments. “It’s part of the human tragedy that death is with us… " McBroom said. “To imply that anyone is valuing guns more than life is a ridiculous, reductive argument.”
Michigan does currently have in place a strict, two-year minimum mandatory prison sentence for anyone who commits a felony while in possession of a firearm, regardless of whether the firearm is illegal or instrumental in the crime.
When asked how she plans to get Republicans on board with Democratic gun proposals, Bayer said she comes from a hunting family and understands that the sport has a long history and tradition in Michigan.
“We’re not taking away guns, this is all about safety. Not doing this is causing people to die,” Bayer said. “We believe at some point we will be successful.”