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State politicians listen to student demands, promise legislative change following MSU shooting

February 15, 2023
<p>Michigan Senate members Darrin Camilleri and Mallory McMorrow listen on as students speak out against gun violence at the Michigan State Capitol on Feb. 15, 2023. "This should not be a shared American experience," McMorrow said.</p>

Michigan Senate members Darrin Camilleri and Mallory McMorrow listen on as students speak out against gun violence at the Michigan State Capitol on Feb. 15, 2023. "This should not be a shared American experience," McMorrow said.

Photo by Devin Anderson-Torrez | The State News

Students gathered on the lawn of the Michigan Capitol building Wednesday afternoon, hoping to share their experiences with lawmakers and inspire change after the mass shooting that took place on MSU’s campus Monday night, killing three students and leaving five more in critical condition. 

After speeches from student leaders, organizers of the event called for all MSU students present on the lawn to come to the Capitol steps and sit before the crowd. Many carried posters or signs and were visibly shaken.

Rep. Julie Brixie, D-Okemos, became emotional as she spoke to the students assembled on the steps of the Capitol. 

“As a mom and a legislator, I feel like I failed you and that we have all failed you,” Brixie said.

Psychology junior Maya Manuel, who was one of the organizers of the event, then called for the legislators seated behind students on the steps to move down to sit or stand in front of the students, reversing the format of the rally.

Legislators, including Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, and House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, shifted to face the students as they explained their experiences being on campus Monday night. Some lawmakers held back tears as students recounted being locked down in buildings on campus. 

U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, of the 7th Congressional District, said that in the aftermath of the shooting, she’s met or spoke with people from across the political spectrum who stand united on one issue: protecting students’ safety.

“I grew up with guns,” Slotkin said. “I carried a Glock and an M-4 on three tours in Iraq. But I have had more gun owners call me in the past 24 hours saying ‘look, I want to be able to hunt, but you got to stop our babies from being killed in their sanctuaries.’”

Slotkin said that she’s already begun meeting with Republicans in Michigan’s legislature, attempting to build bipartisan support for gun control measures that Democrats say will be introduced in the coming days and weeks. 

“I'm also trying to get Republican representatives of my areas, person to person, to consider being in that vanguard of Republican ideology to come and negotiate,” Slotkin said. “Because I think they're missing what's happening in the public, I think they're missing what's happening even among card carrying Second Amendment types who care about hunting, who care about being sportsmen. Those people also want to protect their children, and they're missing that movement among the population.”

She said helping with gun control efforts on the state level helps her handle the lack of action she expects at the national level due to Congressional division. 

Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, said she has experienced the outcomes of gun violence before because her brother's friend died in the Virginia Tech shooting, back in 2007. She said it is not okay for survivors of other school shootings, like Oxford and Sandy Hook to have go through another mass shooting, referencing students at MSU who have.

“This is not okay,” McMorrow said. “This should not be a shared, lived experience. This should not be a shared American experience.”

In an interview with The State News Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said to the rally-goers, she hopes to see specific measures taken by the legislature in the near future to address gun violence.

“I think that we're going to see these extreme risk protection order bills, the red flag bills, I think we're gonna see safe and secure storage move,” Nessel said. “And I think we're gonna see universal background checks move. And that's just the beginning. I truly believe there's a lot more that we can do.”

Nessel, who's twin sons attend MSU and were barricaded on during the shooting, said she understands the panic that many experienced during the nearly four hours students spent locked down on campus. 

“Even when my kids, it felt like were in a safe and secure place, I was talking to other parents who couldn't get a hold of their kids,” Nessel said. “I'm talking to parents whose kids were at the union, or they were at Berkey Hall, and were trying to get a hold of their kids.”

While the event’s speakers emphasized messages of unity and strength, the frustration among students in the crowd was palpable. 

“Please look at me,” Manuel said. “Look at me and understand my pain. Look at these students right here and understand their pain. Before you act like you understand us. Please take a moment to sit with us and to listen to us and to be with us, because you won't be us.”

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