
Courtesy/Governor Gretchen Whitmer via Facebook
A package of laws signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will require school districts to notify parents about new gun safety laws, expand mental health resources, and help ensure that first responders are prepared for emergencies.
LANSING—Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a range of bipartisan bills this month that are designed to improve safety at public schools across Michigan, as well as provide parents, students, cops, and educators with new tools to help prevent violence in the classroom.
The package of legislation was designed largely in response to the rising number of school shootings and other violent incidents that have plagued the nation’s schools—including the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School that killed four students and injured seven others.
“Michiganders should feel safe whether they’re watching a movie at home or heading into the classroom,” Whitmer said in a statement. “That’s why I’m proud to sign commonsense bills that will keep Michigan families and neighborhoods safe from gun violence and other violent crimes.”
Here’s a breakdown of the new laws:
Safe Storage Education for Parents
A recently signed state law that took effect last year enacted new requirements for Michiganders who store or leave their firearm unattended on any property—including in their own home—when they “reasonably know” that a minor is likely to be present on the property.
Specifically, the law now requires Michiganders to keep their firearms either stored in a locked box or locked container or kept unloaded and locked with a trigger lock.
But advocates say these protections are only effective if gun owners are aware of them.
Under newly signed House Bills 5450 and 5451, sponsored by state Reps. Sharon MacDonell (D-Troy) and Julie Brixie (D-Okemos), schools will be required to start distributing detailed firearm storage information to parents of students, beginning in the 2025-26 school year.
“Firearm-related incidents have plagued our communities for too long,” Brixie said in a statement. “These new safe storage education laws will help educate Michigan families on how to properly exercise their rights as a firearm owner by safely storing their weapons and keeping them out of the hands of children. It’s on all of us to work together to prevent gun violence.”
Lawmakers said about 150,000 Michigan children live in homes that have an unsecured firearm. And with more than 70% of school shootings involving a firearm that is owned by one of the shooter’s parents or close family members, abiding by the safe storage laws could save lives.
“Michigan has seen far too many school shootings. Our kids, teachers and families deserve safety and security at home and in their classrooms,” MacDonnell said in a statement.
Under Michigan’s safe storage laws, gun owners also have the added option to store the gun in a locked vehicle, either in a locked box or locked with a trigger lock. Those who fail to secure guns that later end up in the hands of children can face a range of criminal penalties—starting with a 93-day misdemeanor, and escalating to a potential 15-year felony.
Standardized Emergency Response in Schools
Whitmer also signed House Bills 4095 and 4096, which requires the Michigan State Police to develop standardized terms—like “lockdown”—that can be used by all schools during emergency situations, namely to help students and educators respond quickly and efficiently.
“In the event of an emergency, we want to make sure that everyone is on the same page, everyone is using the same terminology, and that there are no mixups,” state Rep. Kelly Breen (D-Novi) told her colleagues during committee testimony on the legislation last year.
The bills were sponsored by state Reps. Stephanie Young (D-Detroit) and Ranjeev Puri (D-Canton) and passed with broad bipartisan support in the state House of Representatives.
It’s worth noting: Despite the recent bipartisan cooperation on the school safety bills, Republican state Rep. Josh Schriver, who represents Oxford, voted against all of them.
School Safety and Mental Health Commission
Newly signed House Bills 5659 and 5660, which were sponsored by state Reps. Luke Meerman (R-Coopersville) and Nancy DeBoer (R-Grand Traverse), aim to improve school safety for Michigan students by creating a new School Safety and Mental Health Commission.
The new commission will replace the state’s existing School Safety Commission and be tasked specifically with making recommendations for improving school safety measures, as well as boosting mental health outcomes for school-aged children, adolescents, and their families.
Whitmer also signed an executive order ensuring that key stakeholders—including educators, law enforcement, and prosecutors—have a seat at the table as the commission takes shape.
Meerman (R-Coopersville) labeled the bills as “long overdue.”
“We must show the people of Michigan, we as lawmakers can come together and produce solutions that address real needs in the state,” Meerman told his colleagues last year.
Behavior Threat Assessment and Management Teams
Whitmer also signed into law House Bill 5549, sponsored by Breen, which will deploy new “behavior threat assessment and management teams” into Michigan schools.
Specifically, the law requires that all schools in Michigan designate specific staff members who can help keep an eye out for alarming student behavior and threats, as well as develop strategies to intervene—and facilitate help to students—before potential threats can escalate.
Gun safety advocates, parents, teachers, and public safety officials have since praised Whitmer and state lawmakers for advancing the reforms into law—emphasizing their potential to protect students in Michigan’s public schools and ultimately prevent violence before it happens.
“As a teacher and parent, I have seen the tragedy of firearm accidents and teen suicides over the years, and we need to do everything we can as a society to help prevent these deaths,” said Erin Stepek, a representative for Michigan Parent Alliance for Safe Schools.
“Students and educators need to feel safe in our schools, and these bills are an important step to helping ensure that,” MEA President Chandra Madafferi also said in a statement this week.
READ MORE: Whitmer’s new budget plan to include ‘record high’ school funding
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