LANSING, Mich. (WXYZ) — The school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee this week has led to calls for more gun control nationwide, just as Michigan lawmakers are in the midst of passing multiple pieces of new gun legislation in the state.
The bills were introduced after a month of protests in Lansing, where students of both Oxford Community Schools and Michigan State Univeristy called for reform in the wake of school shootings.
It’s a scene most Americans have seen on TV, but few have seen with their own eyes.
“This makes us relieve our trauma every time there is a mass shooting,” said Oxford High School senior Dylan Morris, who also serves as executive director of No Future Without Today.
Morris and his classmates know what it’s like to be in the midst of an active school shooting like the one in Nashville that left three adults, and three 9-year-old students dead.
“These were elementary-aged children, they were babies," Morris said. "This is something we cannot get comfortable with here in America.”
"It’s still tragic no matter what, but I'm looking at my 9-year-old son and all I can think is they must have been so scared," State Rep. Kelly Breen, D-Novi, said.
Breen has been working with Morris and many lawmakers to pass gun legislation. Safe storage laws and expanded background checks are already headed to the governor's desk, and she previously expressed support in signing them. However, legislation on red flag laws is still waiting a vote in the House.
"I think it’s absolutely critical,” Breen said of passing the bills.
State Rep. Andrew Beeler, R-Port Huron, said, “Anytime you see something like this, the first thing is heartbreak — always.”
In the wake of school shootings at Oxford and recently Michigan State, students have protested outside the state capitol urgently calling for gun reform.
“My hope is that we can have a rational discussion. I don't think emotional times are the times to make policy,” Beeler said. “We've got to absolutely take a look at any measure that can prevent tragedies like this from happening again and certainly here in Michigan, but I think we want to do that with a clear mind and with a prudent mind, not an emotional mind.”
Beeler was opposed to the gun control bills that passed the House and also opposes the current red flag law legislation.
“I think that we’re setting a very dangerous principal with violating folks constitutional rights without due process of law and I don't think they solve the problems Democrats think they will,” Beeler said.
Instead, Beeler wants legislation focused on school security and mental health.
Breen says the red flag laws, known as "Extreme Risk Protection Orders" will make a difference, not only preventing mass shootings but also suicides.
“We need to make sure that what we do is going to be the best crafted policy in the country and we want to make sure it withstands any potential judicial challenge,” Breen said.
Breen says they’re fine tuning policy now and will ensure due process is followed.
“It's not just about the guns. It is about mental health. It is about due process. It is about the constitution," Breen said of gun legislation. "Balancing all of that in order to save lives is a delicate walk, but we absolutely can do it.”
The House expects to vote on it soon, and survivors like Morris who have been fighting for this legislation hope it passes.
“That does mean a lot to me," Morris said. "We've been looking forward to this moment for a very long time.”
The Michigan House is currently on spring break. The next House session is April 11.
