LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University students and community members are keeping up the pressure on the Michigan Legislature to enact gun reform. Despite the rain, Monday another group gathered across from the Michigan Capitol calling for change.
“I just can’t believe that we have a whole generation of students that grew up knowing nothing other than lockdown drills– I think that’s unacceptable," said Clarissa Mata, organizer of the rally and an MSU student. “These are lives, we lost three Spartans, and that’s not easy. There could have been more. I just want [lawmakers] to understand the severity of this whole situation.”
Mata says she hopes lawmakers listen to students as they consider legislation designed to prevent mass shootings in Michigan.
“The way that we stop having gun violence in this state is by taking proactive action to correct it," said Benjamin Orjada, who attended the rally. "We aren’t going to have people threatening to be copy cat shooters if we stop having real shootings.”
That’s a sentiment echoed by U.S Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
“It’s the guns," she said. "We’re going to change that and that’s why we’re here."
Attendees like Orjada tell me they want to see things like universal background checks, red flag laws and safe storage laws.
A package of gun reform bills is expected to get a hearing this week, so we’ll keep you updated.
