|
|
Dear Friend,
As a former prosecutor, I am proud that since I took office, we have invested more than $1.6 billion across 6 bipartisan budgets to protect public safety. We also enacted commonsense gun violence prevention laws — universal background checks, safe storage, red flag laws, and stronger penalties for domestic abusers.
We’re working to make our communities safer, stronger, and more inclusive places to live and work. That’s why earlier this week, I signed four commonsense bills to update our laws to defend drivers from automobile theft, protect residents of the LGBTQ+ community from violence, and ensure Michiganders and their neighbors are protected from fire-related risks.
Earlier this week, Lt. Governor Gilchrist joined the Michigan State Police to announce a new milestone in our work to reduce gun violence by getting illegal guns off the street. I’m proud to ‘stand tall’ with Lt. Governor Gilchrist for public safety.
Let’s keep using every tool in our toolbox to keep Michiganders safe.
Sincerely,
 Gretchen Whitmer
Governor
|
|
Investing in Michigan’s Safety |
|
|
Since I took office, we have invested over $1.6 billion in public safety across 6 bipartisan budgets, working closely with local leaders, law enforcement officers, and community organizations to ensure people feel safe in their neighborhoods.
We’ve invested significantly more in local public safety over the last couple of years thanks to our federal partners—especially Vice President Harris, another former prosecutor.
|
|
- Increasing revenue sharing for local governments by the largest amount in the past decade to hire, train, and retain more police officers, EMTs, and firefighters.
- Establishing a new Public Safety Trust Fund, which can surge resources to places that need it most.
- Upgrading our emergency communications system so we can better respond to distress calls.
- Funding community violence intervention programs to tackle the root causes of gun violence and crime.
Operation Safe Neighborhoods
On Wednesday, Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist joined the Michigan State Police in Flint to announce that Operation Safe Neighborhoods has taken 675 illegal guns off the streets across Michigan.
Click here to play video message
Operation Safe Neighborhoods is a statewide crackdown on crime aimed at reducing gun violence by getting illegal guns off the street and out of the hands of people who cannot legally be in possession of a gun due to prior criminal history.
We launched Operation Safe Neighborhoods to get illegal guns off our streets before they could be used in future crimes. As a former prosecutor, public safety is a top priority for me, and I’m proud to work with Lieutenant Governor Gilchrist to support our local law enforcement and keep Michigan safe.
|
|
1. Universal background checks for all gun purchases will help keep guns out of the hands of violent criminals, domestic abusers, and people on terrorism watch lists and no-fly lists. |
2. Safe storage requirements will help ensure that children do not accidentally get their hands on firearms. |
3. Extreme risk protection orders, or red flag laws, will allow family, mental health providers, or law enforcement concerned about someone seeking to harm themselves or others to get a court order to temporarily confiscate their firearms |
|
|
This year we established the Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, building on our work to protect public safety and save lives. Our new task force of experts in medicine, law enforcement, and policy will address the root causes of gun violence, use data to identify policy opportunities, and recommend actions to save lives.
|
|
|
|
