Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed a package of bills into law that are meant to help parents comply with the state's requirements for safe gun storage.
State Representatives Sharon MacDonell (D-Troy) and Julie Brixie (D-Okemos), who sponsored the legislation, called it the "Safe Homes, Safe Schools" bill package.
The laws instruct the state Department of Health and Human Services to create informational materials about Michigan's secure gun storage laws, and they instruct schools to send those materials out to every parent each year.
The storage laws, which took effect last year, mandate that firearms be stored in locked containers or safes, unloaded, and secured with gun locks in any location where children are present, including homes and vehicles.
The materials given to parents under the newly signed laws will be suggestions on where to find free or low-cost gun locks and safes to comply with the law.
In addition to these storage requirements, the law also creates a permanent School Safety and Mental Health Commission and requires public schools to establish behavior threat assessment and management teams.
Ryan Bates, the executive director of End Gun Violence Michigan, said the new laws can help prevent gun violence.
"It's been 20 years since Columbine, and things have only ever gotten worse on this issue of gun violence," he says. "Whether it's in our schools or our neighborhoods, but it doesn't have to be this way."
Bates said following and enforcing Michigan's gun laws is important. "It's not just a good idea. It's not just a suggestion. It's the law. You must safely store your firearms. And if someone is armed with a gun that you didn't lock up, the gun owner then can be prosecuted for felonies." Bates concluded.
Firearms were the leading cause of death for children and teens in Michigan in 2022.
