Democratic Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed new gun safety laws after a series of tragic shootings across the country, including a first grader shooting a teacher at a school in Virginia, NBC News reports. The new laws include a background check regardless of the type of weapon a customer wants to purchase; previously only people purchasing handguns in the state were subject to background checks.
The second feature of the new law would require gun owners keep weapons, including unloaded guns, locked up if there is a reasonable expectation that a minor would be in the residence. Advocates say it will prevent teenagers from getting weapons, like the 15-year-old shooter who killed four classmates at Oxford High School in 2021. The shooter used a gun purchased for him by his father; his parents are facing manslaughter charges; their son pleaded guilty to 24 felony counts.