Great Lakes Wire

The Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force has released its first report with recommendations aimed at reducing gun violence and decreasing firearm-related injuries and deaths in the state.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer emphasized the importance of the recommendations, asserting, "Every Michigander deserves to feel safe when they are at work, school or just walking down the street." She further added the recommendations will build upon the $1.6 billion invested across six bipartisan state budgets toward public safety.

Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist II highlighted the persistent issue of families losing loved ones to gun violence and repeated the administration's commitment to keeping Michigan residents safe through reforms and investments in public safety.

The task force, established under Executive Order 2024-4 and housed within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), was created to identify root causes of gun violence and recommend policies that can save lives statewide. Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the chief medical executive and chair of the task force, stated, "These initial recommendations outline solutions that will save lives and prevent needless tragedies."

Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard C. Fuller III, who co-chairs a subcommittee of the task force, stated, "The work performed by our dedicated teams helped develop ideas and information to further educate communities and law enforcement on the new gun violence prevention laws in Michigan."

The task force recommendations address various aspects of gun violence, including firearms-related suicide, community violence, school safety, and intimate partner violence. Among the proposed actions are creating funding mechanisms for implementation, forming a workgroup to increase the impact of firearm injury prevention programs, and improving access to safe storage options for firearms.

Other recommendations include establishing a community-driven effort to support violence intervention leaders, creating a defined role for school resource officers with ongoing training, standardizing law enforcement protocols around Extreme Risk Protection Orders (ERPO), and updating legislation related to firearm possession bans.

The task force will refine these recommendations over the next six months, developing an implementation roadmap and exploring further collaboration opportunities and funding solutions.