LANSING, Mich — Gun violence continues to plague Lansing as the city grapples with seven gun-related homicides so far this year, prompting renewed discussions about prevention strategies and sparking debate over the best approaches to address the crisis.
The sobering statistics have intensified conversations about gun violence prevention at both local and state levels, with community leaders and advocates offering different perspectives on potential solutions.
"Seven lives is too many, one life is too many, so there needs to be work done until we have none," said advocate Micheal Lynn Jr.
The issue has gained attention at the state level through the Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, formed two years ago to help reduce gun violence statewide. The task force recently released recommendations aimed at curbing gun violence, including banning ghost guns, requiring waiting periods for firearm purchases, and raising the minimum age to purchase firearms from 18 to 21.
Michael McKissic, who oversees the Mikey 23 Foundation and lost his son to gun violence 10 years ago, served on the task force that developed these recommendations.
"For them to ask me to be apart of that I was very honored," McKissic said.
He supports raising the age requirement for gun purchases, drawing parallels to other age restrictions.
"They have to be 21 years old to purchase alcohol… so we should have that same mentality with guns," McKissic said.
However, not everyone in the gun violence prevention community agrees with the task force's approach. Michael Lynn Jr., who teaches concealed pistol license courses and oversees the Lansing Empowerment Network, believes the recommendations miss the mark.
"A lot of the suggestions are taking a lot of responsible gun owners and not dealing with the upstream issues we know lead to gun violence," Lynn said.
Lynn, who describes himself as a responsible gun owner, argues the task force should have been more diverse and focused on addressing root causes of gun violence rather than implementing restrictions on legal gun ownership.
"We talk about unemployment rates and mental health… those are all things that lead to gun violence and thats what I would've put my focus at," Lynn said.
The different perspectives reflect varying experiences with gun violence. McKissic's advocacy stems from personal tragedy.
"My perceptive comes from losing a Child, other people have never lost a child so their perspective is different than mine," McKissic said.
Despite their different approaches, both advocates share a common goal of reducing gun violence in their community.
"We all want to see gun violence go down.. The way we get there may just look different depending on the person," Lynn said.
The ongoing debate highlights the complexity of addressing gun violence, with community leaders seeking effective solutions while navigating differing viewpoints on prevention strategies.
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