Michigan lawmakers attend White House event centered on gun violence responses 

Members of the Michigan Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention (MFSVP) Caucus attended an event this week convened by the newly formed White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention and Intergovernmental Affairs as part of its Safer States Initiative. 

According to a Thursday statement from state Rep. Felicia Brabec (D-Pittsfield Twp.), who chairs the caucus, the online event sparked discussion on strengthening support for gun violence survivors, investing in evidence-based solutions for responding to and preventing gun violence, supporting safe gun ownership, encouraging the implementation of background checks. 

Alongside Brabec, state Reps. Brenda Carter (D-Pontiac), Natalie Price (D-Berkley) and Kelly Breen (D-Novi) were in attendance, Amber McCann, spokesperson for Michigan House Speaker Joe Tate (D-Detroit), told the Advance in an email. 

After the event, the caucus issued a statement.

“MFSVP Caucus and its members are committed to making Michigan a safer place by leading the nation in gun reform efforts. Nine important and new gun reform laws take effect in Michigan on Feb. 13. This legislation is in line with Safer States Initiative’s top meeting highlights, such as protecting domestic violence survivors and requiring background checks.

“We’ve also had caucus members who’ve held community violence intervention town halls, which seek to find evidence-based solutions for Michigan. Our state is dedicated to making meaningful progress for safer communities,” the caucus said. 

In 2023, Michigan’s Democratic-led Legislature passed a number of policies aimed at preventing gun violence, including universal background checks, safe storage requirements, firearm restrictions for individuals convicted of domestic violence and extreme risk protection order provisions, which are also known as “red flag” laws. 

Earlier this week, Breen told attendees of the virtual Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Summit that state lawmakers would be looking at bringing federal gun violence laws into state law, addressing a loophole in federal law that allows perpetrators of dating violence and people convicted of misdemeanor stalking to legally access guns. 

Breen also said she would like to see more action taken on violence prevention, and expected to see more action on school safety in the coming months.