The Campaign for a Safer Michigan has identified priority issue areas to reduce gun violence in Michigan:

ROOT CAUSE SOLUTIONS

In nearly every statistical category of gun violence, Michigan ranks above the national average, highlighting the need for action. The Michigan Legislature wasted no time passing life-saving gun violence prevention bills after the tragic shooting at Michigan State University, but that was just the beginning. Now, we must focus on addressing the root causes of gun violence so that across the state, all our communities are healthy and safe, and that all Michiganders have the resources that they need to thrive.

The issue of gun violence is not one that can be solved by a single organization or entity alone. It requires a collective effort, involving community leaders, nonprofits, businesses, government agencies, lawmakers, and concerned citizens, working together towards a shared goal. By joining forces, we can create a powerful ecosystem of advocates who are dedicated to implementing effective solutions. We endorse root cause solutions because the safest communities are those where people are the most secure in having their needs met.

The undersigned organizations urge Michigan lawmakers to take action to prevent violence in our communities through root causes solutions, including (strikethrough denotes accomplishments):

  • Ensure all Michiganders have access to affordable housing.
  • Implement statewide, income-based utility affordability programs for water, electric, gas, and internet services.
  • Implement a permanent moratorium on utility shut-offs for people at 200 percent of the poverty level.
  • Champion investments in small businesses and hold corporations accountable for fulfilling their tax break agreements.
  • Develop and fund adequate and equitable public transportation systems.
  • End prison gerrymandering, which systematically dilutes the political power and economic resources in the communities that are most impacted by violence.
  • Support universal healthcare, including access to adequate, comprehensive mental health services, and reduce disparities in healthcare that stand in the way of community safety and well-being.
  • Ensure that all Michigan veterans are provided adequate and sustainable mental health services.
  • Invest in an equitable education system that promotes effective learning and inclusion, and provides opportunities for all individuals to thrive.
  • Restore collective bargaining rights for public sector employees including educators.
  • Ensure all gender identities are respected and reflected on all government documents by including an X option for non-binary Michiganders.
  • Allocate adequate and equitable funding for community violence intervention programs outside of law enforcement, particularly for funding to both state and local offices of community violence intervention.
  • Ensure that victim services are culturally relevant, especially as it pertains to domestic and sexual violence.
  • Provide adequate and equitable funding for workforce development programs
  • Support the Juvenile Justice Task Force Recommendations

We believe that taking these steps will offer Michiganders everywhere the opportunity for life saving progress on a growing crisis of preventable gun violence, injury, and death.

ROOT CAUSE PLATFORM SUPPORTERS

AFT-MI

APIA Vote-MI

Black Bottom Gun Club

Clean Water Action

Common Cause Michigan

Community Justice 

Detroit Action

Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation

Emergent Justice 

Equality Michigan

FORCE Detroit

March for Our Lives

Michigan Center for Youth Justice

Michigan Coalition on Black Civic Participation

Michigan Interfaith Power & Light

Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health (MOASH)

Michigan People’s Campaign 

Michigan Unitarian Universalist Social Justice Network

Michigan United

Michigan Voices

Miigwech Inc. 

MOSES Action

National Association of Social Workers Michigan

NextGen America

People’s Water Board Coalition 

The Liberal Gun Club

We The People Action Fund

We the People of Detroit

Working Families party

COMMUNITY VIOLENCE PREVENTION

  • Create infrastructure and increase funding for community violence intervention/prevention programs
    • Provide adequate funding and on-going training for staff
    • Lead by FORCE in Detroit
    • Create infrastructure in gun violence hotspots to develop neighborhood-based community violence intervention strategies to address gun violence hot spots
    • Advocate for the creation of infrastructure and increase funding for programs
    • Advocate in gun violence hotspots

PUBLIC HEALTH

  • Create a state Office of Neighborhood Safety within the Division of Victim Services so that this is not a one-time-effort, but an issue that is consistently prioritized
    • Create a Community Safety Advisory Council
    • Seek out funding for and support local community violence prevention collaboratives
    • Provide guidance for officials in counties with high rates of gun violence that includes community violence intervention (CVI) strategies, funding to implement CVI programs and diversionary programs in partnership with prosecutors and policing agencies
    • Increase funding for victims of domestic and sexual violence
  • Culturally specific services that are created by and for specific cultural communities with an emphasis on the voices and experiences of survivors of violence.
  • Reduce suicide from firearms by:
    • Providing support for safe storage of firearms that do not infringe on gun owner rights
    • Providing additional support for firearm safety and education
    • Incentivizing gun dealers and range owners to get suicide prevention training for staff
  • Advocate for the creation of a state Office of Neighborhood Safety prioritized
  • Advocate for the creation of a Community Safety Council

Questions? Want to get involved? Email: lucius@progressmichigan.org

campaignforasafermi.org