ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Michigan is the newest state to sign red flag laws into effect.
Surrounded by a crowd of supporters, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed what she calls a “Common Sense” Gun Violence Prevention Legislation.
“Really proud to be here to sign this third piece, and I don’t think the conversations over,” said Whitmer. “There are a lot of survivors of loved ones from Oxford and from MSU here today. I know they want to continue talking about what in addition, we might do to keep people safe.”
Among the crowd of eager spectators were advocates hoping for stricter gun laws, those who lost loved ones at the hands of gun violence, and survivors of these types of crimes like former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords.
“Now is the time to come together, be responsible,” said Giffords. “We must never stop fighting.”
With Whitmer’s signature, the new law officially means extreme risk protection orders will be created, allowing family members, police officers, and even medical professionals to petition to keep guns out of the wrong hands.
“It’s a public health crisis that is unique to the United States of America,” Whitmer said. “We are now getting the state of Michigan on the right side of a lot of common sense gun policies that have been proven to save lives, and I think that always has to be our North Star.”
But, of course, not everyone was happy with the signing. Republican Michigan State Representative Andrew Beeler says it’s a step in the wrong direction.
“I don’t think that this would stop the vast majority of instances where we see a crime is caused by a firearm,” said Beeler. “My concern is that we’re going a road where people’s constitutional rights are being infringed upon without due process of law, and that’s something that I have a serious problem with.”
The law will not go into effect until next year. Some prosecutors have vowed not to enforce, but that will not be the case at all in Detroit.