FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 14, 2023 — Grand Rapids, Michigan — Gun violence once again has resulted in senseless killings and injuries of innocent people – this time at Michigan State University. Our hearts are broken for those individuals who lost their lives, those in critical condition, and for their families and friends. We weep for the trauma imparted on fearful students, employees, and families awaiting the words: “I’m safe”.
We praise the swift response of campus security, law enforcement, first responders and medical professionals— preparedness that surely protected many from harm and saved lives. Yet, the loss and trauma is overwhelming. This senseless act of violence will reverberate through shattered lives for many years to come.
We pray that every person responds to the violence in our world, not with indifference and cynicism, but with hearts open to welcoming common sense protections for every human being.
We continue to call upon our elected leaders in Lansing and beyond to prioritize responses to the crisis of gun violence to work to prevent further tragedies. We urge immediate action on Gun Safety Laws as a top priority.
The following laws have broad public support and would make a positive impact to our communities:
- Safe Storage-would require guns in homes with children to be locked safely away (82% support)
- Universal Background Checks-for all firearm purchases (90% support)
- Extreme Risk Protection Orders-allow judge to temporarily remove firearms from individual that may be at risk for harming themselves or others (80% support)
- Restrictions on ability of domestic abusers to own firearms
This violence must stop, and we call upon our elected officials to get serious about confronting gun violence in our nation.