LANSING, Mich. — Several gun reform bills are now headed to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk after lawmakers voted to pass the legislation Thursday night. Whitmer has indicated in the past that she intends to sign them into law.
We don't know when that could happen, but it appears that soon Michigan will have new laws aimed at reducing gun violence.
The bills passed along party lines Thursday, pushed through by Michigan Democrats.
Among the bills passed, the major ones like the safe storage law would create penalties for storing or leaving a firearm where it can be accessed by a minor.
The bills would also require background checks on unlicensed gun sales and enact extreme risk protection orders, which would allow firearms to be temporarily taken from someone believed to be a danger to themselves or others.
These bills were part of an extensive 11-bill package. Lawmakers are set to take on the rest of this legislation in April. The legislature is now off for the next two weeks for spring break.
The passage of the bills comes just over a month after the deadly mass shooting at Michigan State University.
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