Issue Position: It's Harder to Get Cold and Allergy Medicine in Michigan than It Is to Buy a Gun

Issue Position

Buying Cold & Allergy Medicine
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- Michigan law requires photo ID.
- Your name is entered into a law
enforcement database.
- You can only buy to 3.6 grams
a day and nine grams a month.

Buying an AK-47 & Ammunition
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- NO photo ID require for private
and online sales.
- NO record is made.
- NO limits on the amount or type
of ammunition you buy, or how
frequently you purchase it.

Michigan enacted these requirement for purchasing cold and allergy medicine for good reason - the opioid crisis continues to devestate our communities. We lost 1,365 lives to opioid overdoses in 2016 alone.

Guns have inflicted very similar devastation on our communities -- 1,223 lives were lost to firearms in 2016. This crisis is far older, and has taken far more lives, yet our Legislature has deliberately ignored this health crisis at the behest of the NRA and gun manufacturers.

Gun violence is a health crisis. A person dies every 16 minutes from gun violence in the U.S.

If these deaths were being caused by literally any other device or substance, lawmakers would have acted a long time ago. That is why we must discuss this issue for what it is -- a preventable health crisis.

Research shows that common-sense public safety laws, like those being used to help address the opioid crisis, will save lives. We can save an estimated 35,000 lives each year in the U.S. if we commit to working together to solve this health crisis that has inicted far too much tragedy.

Gun Safety, Taking on the NRA & Gun Lobby

I'm so proud of the work our children and grandchildren are doing to take a stand against gun violence. They're organized, focused and driven.

As a mom of three daughters, I'm here to support and work with you to put a stop to gun violence in our schools and communities.
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The U.S. has the highest prevalence of gun ownership in the world. The NRA says this helps keep us safe, yet a person dies every 16 minutes from gun violence in the U.S.

We're 20 times more likely to be murdered with guns than people
in other developed countries.

The simple fact is, you're twice as likely to be murdered if you live in a home with a gun and three times more likely to commit suicide. Proximity to guns profoundly increases the chances that you will be killed by a firearm.

The first step to resolving this issue is to admit we have a problem in this country.

Guns in schools a recipe for disaster. Yet, for far too long, lawmakers have ignored this issue at the behest of the NRA and gun lobby.

They've allowed loopholes that allow for the open carry of guns in our schools, daycare centers, hospitals and bars to continue for decades when countless pieces of legislation have been introduced to close the loophole.

For centuries we've been trying the the NRA's solution - "more guns". It's the quitisential example of Einstein's definition of insanity - "Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
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It is harder to get asthma and allergy medication, birth control, a driver's license and many other essentials in this country.
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It's time to close the private and online sale loopholes so everyone is cleared by a background check before purchasing a firearm.

We must also enact a "Red Flag" law, so we can protect our loved ones in their time of need.

When residents are asked which county has the highest per capita rate of gun-related deaths in Michigan, many
often assume Wayne County. In fact, Wayne County isn't even in the top 5.

The five counties with the highest per capita rate of gun-related deaths are Alcona, Baraga, Oscoda, Luce and Keweenaw, rural counties in northern Michigan.

Many of the gun-related deaths are suicide. A red flag law will not only help us prevent the next school shooting, it will help us protect our loved ones in their darkest hour.

I want you to know that your words and commitment are making a difference and you have to stay the course, many lives depend on it.

The work are children and grandchildren are doing is changing the discussion unlike anything we've seen before and I look forward to working with you and great groups like Moms Demand Action to take on the NRA and enact common-sense policies to address gun violence by:
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1. Enacting Universal Background Checks The fact that you have to a background check at a licensed dealer, but not when you buy online, at a gun show or out of someone's trunk is absurd. Everyone must be cleared by a background check.

2. Robust Enforcement of Mental Health Record Reporting There little to
no enforcement of mental health record reporting to state and federal databases, allowing
those with severe mental illness to easily acquire guns. Current research has found millions of mental health records were missing from our state and federal databases.

3. Prohibiting Domestic Abusers from Purchasing Firearms American women are 16 times more likely to be shot and killed than women in other developed countries. Tragically, over half of the women killed with guns in the U.S. are murdered by their partners. Common-sense laws will protect victims and save lives

4. Closing the Open Carry Loophole This loophole allows guns to be openly carried in our gun-free zones: schools, daycare centers, places of worship, bars, stadiums
and other sensitive areas. It has lingered for decades under failed leadership.

5. Enacting a Red Flag law to ensure we're able to help our loved ones in their time of need. Red flag laws can save lives by allowing family members and law enforcement to act before warning signs escalate into tragedies. Most of our gun-related deaths are suicide. A red ag law will not only help us prevent the next school shooting, it will help
us protect our loved ones in their darkest hour.

6. Establishing a Child Access Prevention Law to hold those who don't safely and responsibly secure their rearms from children accountable. Even Texas has this law on
the books. We're one of only nine states that don't. Every day, a child takes their life with
a gun. 500 American children die by gun suicide every year. It doesn't have to be this way, children in other high-income countries are over 90% less likely to die by gun suicide.

7. Banning large-capacity magazines, bump stocks and assault weapons. Our communities are not theaters of war.

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