The Department of Justice released a report on the Uvalde school shooting, emphasizing the use of an AR-15 style assault rifle, prompting President Joe Biden to propose gun-control measures including universal background checks, red-flag laws, and an assault weapons ban. However, the article argues that these proposals are ineffective, pointing out that the Uvalde shooter passed a federal background check and that an assault weapons ban had no significant impact on reducing mass shootings in the past. The author suggests that allowing teachers to carry concealed handguns may be a more effective solution to protect against school shootings.
President Joe Biden will speak at a summit in Connecticut on Friday to highlight the implementation of the federal gun safety legislation signed last year. He will also push for universal background checks and the banning of assault weapons. The summit is being led by U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy and major gun safety groups hoping to build on recent progress. Since the bill signing last summer, there have been at least 26 mass killings in the U.S. so far in 2023, leaving at least 131 people dead. Firearms are the No. 1 killer of children in the U.S.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed two gun safety initiatives into law, including universal background checks and a red flag-style provision allowing law enforcement to intervene when someone is at high risk of injuring themselves or others with a firearm. The measures were included in a broader public safety budget bill after it narrowly passed by one vote along party lines in the state Senate. Republicans have criticized the measures as violating the Second Amendment. Minnesota now joins 19 other states that have implemented red flag laws.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed a package of six gun violence prevention bills into law, including universal background checks for all firearms and safe storage requirements around children. The bills also require people to meet specific qualifications to obtain a gun license and keep their firearms unloaded and locked with a locking device or stored in a lockbox in their home if a minor lives at or is likely to visit the property. Two gun rights groups have sued the state legislature, alleging a violation of Michigan's Open Meetings Act.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has signed into law six gun violence prevention bills, including universal background checks for all firearm purchases and safe storage requirements. The legislation was proposed by the governor in January and follows the shootings at Michigan State University and Oxford High School in 2021. The bills establish penalties for violations of safe storage requirements, lower the costs of firearm safety devices, and expand universal background checks to all firearms. The legislation has been praised by community leaders and gun safety advocates.
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed two gun safety bills into law requiring universal background checks for all gun sales and safe storage of firearms and ammunition in homes. The legislation comes after a gunman opened fire at two locations on Michigan State University's main campus in East Lansing in February, shooting eight students, three fatally. The first law requires anyone who does not have a gun license to undergo a federal national instant criminal background check before purchasing a gun, while the second law introduces new safe storage requirements to ensure children do not have access to guns and ammunition being stored at home.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed gun violence prevention bills into law in East Lansing, Michigan, requiring universal background checks and safe storage. The legislation comes after two mass shootings occurred within 15 months of each other. Michigan GOP members have opposed gun legislation, while groups of gun owners have begun advocating for it. The bills build on ongoing investments in public safety and Operation Safe Neighborhoods to create safer communities.
Kentucky has some of the least restrictive gun laws in the US, with no waiting period for firearm transfers and no requirement for universal background checks or red flag laws. Gun deaths and homicides have increased since the state allowed permitless carry in 2019. Domestic abusers, stalkers, fugitives, individuals convicted of hate crimes, and people found to be a danger to themselves or others all have legal access to guns in Kentucky. Louisville officials are calling for city, state, and federal assistance in addressing gun violence and changing laws to prevent the sale of confiscated firearms.
Rep. Thomas Massie criticized President Biden's latest executive order on gun control, calling it "science fiction" and pointing out that California, where Biden announced the order, has some of the strictest gun laws but also a high rate of violent crime. Massie argued that the reforms set forth in the order, including universal background checks and a ballistics database, have failed in other states and would not have prevented any public shooting in this century. Biden's order aims to increase background checks, promote secure firearms storage, and enforce red flag laws.
