Here’s what Michigan has done to address the epidemic of school shootings

Students across the US are begging their legislators for ways to reduce gun violence at schools—Michigan lawmakers are listening.

Earlier this month, a 14-year-old student opened fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, killing two students and two teachers, and wounding several others. 

The shooting took place just 22 days into the new school year.

This is no isolated incident—guns in schools are increasing. New reports from Everytown, a national gun violence prevention organization, show a 31% increase in gunfire incidents on school grounds during the 2023-2024 school year compared to the 2022-2023 school year.

According to an analysis by CNN, there have been at least 45 school shootings so far this year in the US. What’s more, the K-12 Shooting Database has found at least 218 instances of a gun being brandished or fired on school property in 2024. 

The message to students, families, school employees, and communities could not be more clear: Schools need help, now.

Here in Michigan, having both the state legislature and the governor’s office controlled by Democrats (the first time in nearly 40 years) has meant that elected leaders have finally been able to pass laws to help curb gun violence in schools. Additionally, 192 candidates running for office in the Mitten have been endorsed in the 2024 election by Gun Sense Voter—an Everytown project that identifies politicians who support gun safety reform throughout the US. 

And the state has made history by being the first to convict a school shooter’s parents of involuntary manslaughter, for their roles in giving their son access to guns and for ignoring his mental health needs. 

The historic case may be what inspired the recent arrest of the father of the Apalachee High School shooting suspect, Colin Grey. After telling investigators that he purchased the gun used in the shooting as a holiday present for his son in December 2023, Grey has been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second-degree murder, and eight counts of cruelty to children. 

At the district level, school administrators across the Mitten have implemented new gun detection measures and safety protocols—like those found in Pontiac, Grand Rapids, and Oxford. 

For example, earlier this year, the Pontiac School District deployed ZeroEyes AI-based gun detection technology to protect students and staff against gun-related threats. ZeroEyes—founded by Navy SEALs, Special Operations military veterans, and elite technologists—shares real-time information when an individual brandishes a gun near or in the school. 

Apalachee High School, too, had adopted new safety measures this school year. That’s how law enforcement was notified about the Sept. 4 shooting—teachers with Centegix ID badges, which include a panic button, had activated the protocols with the eight required pushes that signal an emergency. 

Experts agree that a combination of gun safety laws, secure firearm storage at home, community-based violence intervention programs, and school-based programs that develop a trusting environment can be a more comprehensive approach to protecting our youth. 

Those laws don’t happen on their own, warned Michigan state Sen. Kevin Hertel (D-St. Clair Shores). There must be enough elected officials in office who can propose, vote for, and implement them across the state first. 

“Despite having the threat of gun violence be ever present in their lives, we have seen young people in recent years stand up and demand action from those in power,” said Sen. Hertel in a press release after meeting with Grosse Pointe North High School’s chapter of Students Demand Action earlier this summer. “Rejecting the belief that this pain and trauma is normal, these young advocates and their years-long organizing endeavors have been a driving force behind the life-saving laws that recently took effect in our states.”

While Michigan’s Democratic-majority government is prioritizing gun safety reform, Georgia’s government has the polar opposite composition—Republicans have been elected to lead the governor’s office and both chambers of the state assembly. 

To find the candidates who support gun safety reform near you, visit gunsensevoter.org/candidates.