On February 13, 2023, Anthony Dwayne McRae came onto the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing, Michigan and killed 3 and injured 5 students in less than 5 hours. At 8:25 pm, the first shots were heard and the university sent a “Run, Hide, Fight” text to all the people on campus. “Run, Hide, Fight” is a message that means evacuating from danger, hiding in a secure place from danger, and if there is no other option, fighting for your life to protect yourself. The Gun Violence Archive says the MSU shooting is the 67th mass shooting this year.
As the MSU community grieves, many other schools around the country are also aware of and mourning this situation. When school shootings occur, many schools think about the procedures they use for lockdowns and whether they are up to date. The safety of students is a concern for teachers, parents, and students. Capri Woodens, a current junior at CHS, says, “I feel like our school protocols are fast and up to date…, but it could have a little more work done.” Some believe further legislation is needed as well. A survivor of the Oxford school shooting also survived the MSU shooting and stated that she believes the system failed her.
Michigan State University canceled all classes for the week after the incident and resumed the following Monday. The days that followed the shooting were filled with grief. On Wednesday, hundreds of MSU students participated in a sit-in at the capitol in Lansing to tell the legislators what the students had experienced and felt during the shooting in the hope something would be done. Following the sit-in, the university held a vigil for all students, attended by Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, giving them the time to honor and remember the victims.
Following the incident, Governor Gretchen Whitmer called for what she calls common-sense legislation to reduce gun violence, including background checks, safe firearm storage laws, and risk protection orders. It has been reported that the majority of Michigan voters are for this action. Following this, Michigan senators introduced eleven new firearm-related bills.
However, passing these bills will not be easy. Because of Michigan’s gun rights stated in their state constitution, every person has a right to keep and bear arms for the defense of himself and the state. Furthermore, the Republican lawmakers in Michigan are not in favor of restricting guns and argue that legislation should focus instead on mental health and school safety programs. Because of these two issues, conflicts increase, and the possibility of a new gun safety law decreases.
