Gun Violence Task Force makes recommendations to address gun violence, reduce firearm-related deaths, injuries

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force released recommendations designed to address gun violence and reduce firearm-related deaths and injuries today in its first report.

“Every Michigander deserves to feel safe when they are at work, school or just walking down the street,” said Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “As a former prosecutor, I’m committed to public safety and proud of the $1.6 billion we’ve invested to keep people safe across six balanced, bipartisan state budgets. These recommendations by the task force will build on our record investments and efforts to enact commonsense gun violence prevention laws like background checks, safe storage, extreme risk protection orders and stronger penalties for convicted domestic abusers. Together, we will ensure Michiganders can feel safe from gun violence no matter where they live.”

“Too many Michigan families have lost loved ones to gun violence,” said Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II. “Governor Whitmer and I have worked hard to keep Michiganders safe, investing more than $1.6 billion in public safety across bipartisan budgets and signing commonsense reforms that prevent gun violence. Last year, we established the Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force to carry this work forward, and these initial recommendations will help us better understand how to protect Michiganders from this senseless violence. We will keep standing tall for the families impacted by such heartbreaking tragedies.”

“These initial recommendations outline solutions that will save lives and prevent needless tragedies. Over the next six months the task force will look at ways to practically implement these recommendations,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive and chair of the Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. “Gun violence is the leading cause of death in children across the country and, as such, we must address it as a public health issue.”

The Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force was created under Executive Order 2024-4, signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Members are charged with identifying root causes of gun violence, compiling and reporting relevant data, maximizing existing resources, soliciting perspectives from diverse community partners and recommending policies to save lives across the state.

Housed within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), task force membership reflects a wide range of community partners, including state department directors, medical experts, law enforcement professionals, tribal representatives, academic researchers and more.

Developed over the last five months, task force recommendations address firearms-related suicide, community violence, school safety, intimate partner violence and implementation of existing legislation.

“I have been blessed to work on Governor Whitmer’s Gun Violence Prevention Task Force over the last year,” said Kalamazoo County Sheriff Richard C. Fuller III. “As a co-chair of a subcommittee, I witnessed professionals from law enforcement, the courts, MDHHS and the University of Michigan all work together toward a common goal. 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. While the laws are fairly new, I am confident the work performed by the task force will pay dividends for a long time, make communities safer, better educate people and save lives, not only for Michigan but also in other states.” 

Recommendations include the following:

• Develop funding mechanisms for the implementation of the task force recommendations.
• Create a workgroup to implement the recommendations that includes directors or their representatives from various governmental agencies and non-government entities and organizations to increase the capacity and impact of firearm injury prevention programs and research.
• Improve access to out-of-home safe storage options for firearms for families with someone in crisis.
• Build a coordinated, community-driven collaboration (holistic ecosystem) and share best practices to support community violence intervention leaders and prevention partners across the state.
• Create a standard definition of a school resource officer with ongoing training and education.
• Amend the law to ensure that safe surrender and relinquishment of an illegal firearm in Personal Protection Orders, Misdemeanor Convictions for Domestic Violence and Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) cases hold no legal liability unless connected with a crime.
• Standardize statewide law enforcement and court processes and protocols around ERPO and require all law enforcement agencies to have an ERPO protocol.
• Update existing legislation that requires relinquishment, removal and storage of firearms after the firearm possession ban.
• Clarify the process of temporary transfers of firearms when someone is in crisis or at risk, so that those engaged in these transfers are not in violation of the law.

During the next six months, the task force will refine recommendations; create an implementation and analysis roadmap; and explore opportunities for collaboration and funding.

Visit the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force webpage for more information.

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