LANSING, Mich. — Everytown for Gun Safety and its grassroots networks, Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, release the following statements praising Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force (MGVPTF) for releasing a bold, evidence-based roadmap to keep Michigan families safe. The new report underscores Michigan’s progress after passing its most significant gun safety package in nearly 30 years, and makes clear that lawmakers have powerful, data-backed policy solutions they can enact next to save lives.
The report highlights both Michigan’s historic achievements and the urgent need to fully implement existing laws while advancing the next generation of proven policies. Advocates applauded the governor for establishing the task force last year and for committing to a public-health, whole-of-government approach to addressing gun violence.
“Governor Whitmer has shown what real leadership looks like: she’s given Michigan a clear blueprint, and now lawmakers need to finish the job,” said Monisha Henley, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at Everytown for Gun Safety. “Thanks to her work, Michigan has gone from stalled to one of the most forward-moving states on gun safety. This report makes clear that gun dealer licensing, an assault weapons ban, limits on high-capacity magazines and conversion devices, waiting periods, and raising the age to 21 aren’t optional. They’re essential to saving lives. Lawmakers must meet this moment, follow the data, and turn these recommendations into action. The roadmap is here. It’s now time to use it.”
The MGVPTF report lays out priority actions that would have a direct and measurable impact on reducing gun violence in Michigan. Advocates emphasized the following recommendations as essential next steps:
- Create a Temporary Firearm Safety Policy Implementation Team. A dedicated cross-agency team to ensure Michigan’s new laws, including background checks, secure storage, and Extreme Risk Protection Orders, are implemented consistently, efficiently, and equitably across the state.
- Require Gun Dealer Licensing & Strengthened Oversight. A statewide licensing and accountability system for firearm dealers to prevent repeat violations, curb trafficking, and stop the flow of guns from bad-actor dealers into Michigan communities.
- Pass an Assault Weapons Ban. A state ban on assault weapons to reduce the lethality of mass shootings, particularly those that devastate schools, places of worship, and public spaces.
- Ban Ghost Guns. State action to stop unserialized, untraceable firearms that are increasingly recovered by law enforcement and exploited by individuals who cannot pass a background check.
- Ban High-Capacity Magazines & Conversion Devices. Keeping high-capacity magazines, and machine gun conversion devices off our streets will reduce the catastrophic harm of shootings and slow the rise of fully-automatic conversion incidents in Michigan.
- Strengthen Industry Accountability. Give survivors, communities, and the state more tools to hold bad actor gun manufacturers and sellers accountable when their practices contribute to violence.
Advocates also praised the continued success of Operation Safe Neighborhoods, Governor Whitmer’s statewide effort pairing law enforcement with community partners to remove illegally possessed guns, support intervention programs, and reduce violence. The program demonstrates how Michigan can combine prevention, accountability, and community trust to keep neighborhoods safe.