New plan to crack down on gun violence in Oakland County

Commissioners' made proposal to create group to come up with solution

SOUTHFIELD – Two members of the Oakland County Board of Commissioners presented a resolution to form a task force to specifically address the issue of gun violence Wednesday night.  The issue has been taken up on a national and state level, but soon local leaders could enter the debate.

Commissioners' Bill Dwyer and Marcia Gershenson made the proposal. The proposal could eventually lead to the creation of a study group comprised of community leaders, mental health professionals and police, all working together to come up with a solution to a problem plaguing the country. 

"It's out of control, I mean we've seen it all over," said Oakland County Commissioner Bill Dwyer.

The recent school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut and a surge in gun sales in Michigan are behind the recommendation. For the commissioners', this isn't about an outright ban on weapons, but taking a deeper look at the issues. 

"What we're trying to do is decrease the amount of violence," said Dwyer.

Just last week, President Obama unveiled new gun-control initiatives. Michigan lawmakers are also getting in on the debate and so are local leaders.

"The mental health community will make their recommendations, law enforcement will make theirs and we'll pass those on to Lansing and hopefully they can act in a bi-partisan way. We're trying to model and get some good legislation and strengthen the laws in the state," said Gershenson.

One of many things they want to focus on is background checks for guns, the mentally ill and violence in video games. The commissioners' resolution will go through several committees before it heads back to the board for approval, which could take a couple of weeks.