Gov. Gretchen Whitmer revived a gun violence task force amid a split government that has largely closed the door to additional gun restrictions in Michigan for now.
The governor signed an executive order Thursday, June 4 re-establishing the Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force she created under a previous order that directed the group to make policy recommendations. In a 2025 report, the task force put forward a slew of proposals largely aimed at implementing gun safety legislation signed into law by Whitmer. That included an expansion of background checks to cover all firearm purchases, gun storage requirements aimed at keeping weapons out of the hands of children and a “red flag” law that allows courts to order the temporary removal of firearms from those posing an imminent threat to themselves or others.
In its report, the task force, described those policies as “a critical step” but urged further action, pointing to states that have waiting periods between purchasing and obtaining a firearm, a higher minimum age for buying firearms and more.
When they held legislative majorities, Democratic lawmakers tried to do more, passing bans on bump stocks that make semiautomatic rifles fire faster and untraceable ghost guns that circumvent background checks. But those bills died in a chaotic end to Democrats’ power. The current divided Legislature is unlikely to take up those proposals or similar ones.
But over the next several months, the gun violence task force — housed within the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services — will focus on putting in place its past recommendations and collecting data to monitor progress, according to a press release from Whitmer’s office. The call for an implementation team was included in the task force’s report.
Whitmer’s executive order celebrated new gun laws in Michigan and investments to reduce violence. “But our work is not done,” it states. The “next phase,” the order states, must focus on implementing the last task force’s recommendations.
Past recommendations the group put forward include public information campaigns on petitioning a court to temporarily take firearms away from those deemed dangerous and firearm storage requirements. It also urged funding for free firearm locks and trainings for community groups that work in neighborhoods and schools to intervene in conflicts before they become violent.
Contact Clara Hendrickson at chendrickson@freepress.com or 313-296-5743.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Whitmer reconvenes Michigan gun violence task force
Reporting by Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
