Title
Resolution in Support of Common-Sense Gun Safety Laws to Reduce Gun Violence and Gun Deaths in Michigan
Body
Whereas, As of February 16, there had already been 72 mass shootings and 5,463 gun violence deaths in the United States in 2023, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive, an online archive of gun violence incidents collected from over 7,500 law enforcement, media, government and commercial sources daily in an effort to provide near-real time data about the results of gun violence;
Whereas, According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), firearm deaths continue to be a significant and growing public health problem in the United States, with 79% of all homicides and 53% of all suicides in 2020 involving firearms;
Whereas, According to data from the CDC, the percentage of homicides and suicides attributed to firearm injuries increased from 79% to 81% and from 53% to 55% from 2020 to 2021, respectively, resulting in the highest percentage for homicide in more than 50 years and the highest percentage for suicide since 2001;
Whereas, The CDC found that the substantial increase in the firearm homicide rate, along with notable increases in firearm suicide rates for some groups, has widened racial, ethnic, and other disparities, with young people, males, and Black people suffering from the highest firearm homicide rates and largest increases in 2020;
Whereas, The communities most impacted by gun violence are disproportionately Black, Indigenous, and Latino/Hispanic (BIPOC) and yet often excluded from the policymaking process due in part to racist gun laws;
Whereas, Systemic racial inequalities such as unequal access to safe housing, adequate educational opportunities, police violence, and disinvestment in infrastructure and services in BIPOC communities have resulted in concentrated and highly disproportionate gun violence in these communities;
Whereas, In 2020, firearm related injury surpassed motor vehicle crashes as the leading cause of death among children and adolescents in the United States, even as firearms ranked no higher than the fifth leading cause of death in 11 other large and wealthy peer countries;
Whereas, The CDC concluded that increases since 2020 and record high rates of firearm homicide and suicide in 2021 underscore the urgent need for prevention efforts;
Whereas, On November 30, 2021, a mass shooting occurred at Oxford High School, resulting in the deaths of three students - Madisyn Baldwin, Tate Myre, and Hana St. Juliana - and the injury of eight others;
Whereas, After the preventable tragedy at Oxford High School, the Republican-led Michigan legislature failed to strengthen Michigan gun laws or enact any meaningful reforms to reduce gun violence;
Whereas, On February 13, 2023, a mass shooting occurred at Michigan State University, resulting in the deaths of three students - Arielle Anderson, Brian Fraser, and Alexandria Verner - and the injury of five others, with four of those students remaining in critical condition;
Whereas, All students deserve schools and communities that are safe, supportive, and free from gun violence;
Whereas, Safe storage measures that require firearms to be securely stored in homes with children has been proven to significantly reduce youth firearm deaths;
Whereas, Universal background check and waiting period laws can ensure that all firearm purchases are subject to background checks and prevent firearms from being obtained by individuals who should not have access to a gun;
Whereas, Extreme risk protection orders (red flag laws), would permit a court to authorize the temporary removal and sale of firearms from and to persons deemed a threat to themselves or others;
Whereas, Domestic violence survivor protection laws would prevent those convicted of domestic violence from owning or purchasing firearms, reducing and preventing the escalation of violence against or murder of domestic violence survivors;
Whereas, On May 3, 2021, City Council passed a resolution in support of Michigan Senate Bill 352 of 2021 to restore local control over gun regulations on public property, allowing cities, townships, and counties to adopt rules like those governing courthouses or schools, and disappointingly, no action was taken prior to the end of the last legislative session;
Whereas, Everytown for Gun Safety classifies Michigan’s gun laws as “Weak,” finding that the state has only enacted 12 of the 50 most important gun safety policies;
Whereas, Everytown for Gun Safety’s research finds that Michigan’s gun violence rate is worse than the national average;
Whereas, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, in her 2023 State of the State address, called for the passage of common-sense gun safety measures, including those articulated above; and
Whereas, Gun violence injury and death is often the direct result of policy and political failure, and failure to address the gun violence epidemic is unacceptable and unconscionable;
RESOLVED, The Ann Arbor City Council urges the Michigan legislature to immediately act to reduce gun violence and death by enacting meaningful common-sense gun safety laws, including but not limited to, safe storage laws, universal background checks, extreme risk protection orders, protection for domestic violence survivors, and restoration of local control over firearms on public property;
RESOLVED, That the City Administrator shall direct the City’s lobbyist to monitor, advocate for, and support common-sense gun safety legislation, including but not limited to, safe storage laws, universal background checks, extreme risk protection orders, protection for domestic violence survivors, and restoration of local control over firearms on public property;
RESOLVED, That the City Administrator shall distribute this resolution to the Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, the Michigan Senate Majority Leader, the Governor of Michigan, and to all members of the Michigan legislature representing Ann Arbor;
RESOLVED, That the Michigan legislature commit to adequately fund gun violence prevention and strong enforcement mechanisms without contributing to further mass incarceration, while addressing the root causes of gun violence; and
RESOLVED, That the Michigan legislature engage with BIPOC stakeholders, including BIPOC caucuses, to address the racial inequalities in housing, policing, education, transportation, and the criminal legal system, which all contribute to gun violence.
As Amended and Approved by Ann Arbor City Council on February 21, 2023
Sponsored by: Councilmembers Radina, Harrison, Akmon, Eyer, Ghazi Edwin, Cornell, Disch, and Watson