Michigan prosecutor calls state gun laws ‘woefully inadequate’

The Michigan prosecutor who charged the parents of a teen suspected in fatally shooting four students and injuring seven others called the state’s gun laws “woefully inadequate.”

Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald was asked during a news conference on Friday what Michigan’s laws were regarding bringing a child to a firing range and practicing with them.

“Good question. Michigan’s laws are woefully inadequate. We don’t have a safe storage law. We’re not legally required to store your weapon in a safe manner. Children are allowed to attend with their parents so long as their parent is present. So the answer to that question is we don’t have strong enough laws,” the Michigan prosecutor answered.

McDonald emphasized during the news conference that she was not against people owning guns, saying that she knew a lot of people who responsibly owned guns. At the same time she noted that “it’s your responsibility — it’s your duty — to make sure that you don’t give access to this deadly weapon to somebody that you have reason to believe is going to harm someone.”

McDonald’s comments come as Democrats in Michigan have renewed their calls for gun reform legislation. 

“We have a responsibility to do all we can to protect each other, and we have the tools to reduce gun violence. No one should be afraid to go to school, work, a house of worship, or even their own home. This is a time for us to come together and help children feel safe at school,” Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) tweeted following news of the shooting on Tuesday.

We have a responsibility to do all we can to protect each other, and we have the tools to reduce gun violence. No one should be afraid to go to school, work, a house of worship, or even their own home. This is a time for us to come together and help children feel safe at school.

— Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) November 30, 2021

One day after the shooting, the Michigan Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention Caucus said in a statement that “we are heartbroken by the tragic events that happened in our own backyard.”

“While we have met resistance on taking proactive measures to prevent gun violence in the past, we are asking folks to consider a change of heart and mind so the students who died at Oxford – and who have died in countless other tragedies across the country – have not died in vain,” the caucus continued.

“We have introduced commonsense gun safety legislation in the past and, in doing so, have warned about the very tragedy we now face. We are reaching across the aisle, seeking to revisit this issue so we can hopefully prevent another senseless tragedy in our schools, and must recognize the freedom to kill is not more important than the freedom to live and learn in peace,” the caucus added.