The Case for Guns: How the Democrats and the Democrat Party Will Stand Up to Gun Violence in the Twenty-Year After the Michigan State University Shooting
Editor’s Note: Max Burns is a Democratic strategist, columnist and founder of Third Degree Strategies. He can be followed onTwitter at@themaxburns. The views expressed are of his own. CNN has opinions on it.
The American community is grieving after another mass shooting. Five shattered families in Louisville now join the six still mourning their loved ones in Nashville. The political armor that once protected firearms is starting to weaken as more and more families are affected by gun violence.
The victories of the Democrats confirmed that abortion-driven ballot victories have the power to affect electoral patterns. That also includes gun reform. Biden and the Democrats have the rare opportunity to build yet another winning coalition out of an issue once viewed as political poison. They need to look at their party governors for a plan of attack in the 20th century.
The mass shooting that occurred at Michigan State University was a call to action, and the governor and legislators in Michigan responded by passing common-sense laws to keep Michigan residents safe from gun violence. Everyone in Michigan will have to pass a background check for buying a gun, and every gun owner will have to store their weapon in an out of harms way with broad public support.
“Republicans look completely unreasonable when they won’t even discuss background checks, gun safety measures like storage or red flag laws,” Del Percio warned. “Republicans running in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, all big Second Amendment states, all lost. Republicans have to learn that you can be for the Second Amendment and also for background checks.”
And activists looking for momentum on Capitol Hill had best look elsewhere. Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas has said Congress won’t be considering any more gun legislation following the bipartisan passage of a limited gun safety bill last year.
Republican governors are warming to gun reforms even though they are stuck in federal government. The governor of Tennessee called on the state to pass a red flag law that would enable the government to seize guns from dangerous individuals after a shooting in Nashville. Two years ago, Lee thanked the National Rifle Association for help ending gun permitting in the state.
There is a feeling that the Democratic Party will eventually get in its own way and that progressive activists are going to suffer. The Democrats close to the president made clear that his campaign would steer away from controversial issues such as abortion and guns. A slate of strong gun safety executive actions publicized by the White House last month suggests that Biden may be changing his views when the Democrats gain control of congress.
Proposal for a Measure to End the School Massacre in Michigan and Implications for the State’s Gun Rights Laws (Journal Report)
In recent years, there have been school massacres in Michigan. Three Michigan State University students were killed and five others were critically wounded. Four students were killed and six others were injured in a shooting at Oxford High School in Michigan in 2021, according to a report.
The package includes two bills that focus on creating universal background checks that will bar people in the state from purchasing and carrying a firearm if they have not received a license for it.
It will take a lot of work to get a gun license in Michigan, and there are a lot of specific qualifications that must be met. The bill also states that individuals seeking a license can’t be subject to a felony or criminal charge when they apply.
In addition, one bill will require people to 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.
The sale of firearm safety devices will not be subject to the state’s use tax, as the law states.
The groups did not immediately respond to CNN’s request to speak about their suit. But Michigan’s state House and Senate leaders both told CNN that the gun rights groups were allowed to participate in the hearing process.
“We complied with the law and provided opportunities for people both for and against the bills to express their views. Winnie Brinks, the Democratic Senate Majority Leader told CNN that they wouldn’t allow this lawsuit to distract them from yesterday’s historic bill signing.