Several groups including the Michigan Chapter of the Liberal Gun Club, working with Progress MI, developed a root cause mitigation platform to address all forms of violent crime by addressing the various causes of crime instead of infringing upon the Constitutionally enshrined civil rights of all Americans with a call for additional gun control.
The platform is as follows:
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In nearly every statistical category of gun violence, Michigan ranks above the national average, highlighting the need for action. The Michigan Legislature wasted no time passing life-saving gun violence prevention bills after the tragic shooting at Michigan State University, but that was just the beginning. Now, we must focus on addressing the root causes of gun violence so that across the state, all our communities are healthy and safe, and that all Michiganders have the resources that they need to thrive.
The issue of gun violence is not one that can be solved by a single organization or entity alone. It requires a collective effort, involving community leaders, nonprofits, businesses, government agencies, lawmakers, and concerned citizens, working together towards a shared goal. By joining forces, we can create a powerful ecosystem of advocates who are dedicated to implementing effective solutions. We endorse root cause solutions because the safest communities are those where people are the most secure in having their needs met.
The undersigned organizations urge Michigan lawmakers to take action to prevent violence in our communities through root causes solutions, including:
- Ensure all Michiganders have access to affordable housing.
- Implement statewide, income-based utility affordability programs for water, electric, gas, and internet services.
- Implement a permanent moratorium on utility shut-offs for people at 200 percent of the poverty level.
- Champion investments in small businesses and hold corporations accountable for fulfilling their tax break agreements.
- Develop and fund adequate and equitable public transportation systems.
- End prison gerrymandering, which systematically dilutes the political power and economic resources in the communities that are most impacted by violence.
- Support universal healthcare, including access to adequate, comprehensive mental health services, and reduce disparities in healthcare that stand in the way of community safety and well-being.
- Ensure that all Michigan veterans are provided adequate and sustainable mental health services.
- Invest in an equitable education system that promotes effective learning and inclusion, and provides opportunities for all individuals to thrive.
- Restore collective bargaining rights for public sector employees including educators.
- Ensure all gender identities are respected and reflected on all government documents by including an X option for non-binary Michiganders.
- Allocate adequate and equitable funding for community violence intervention programs outside of law enforcement, particularly for funding to both state and local offices of community violence intervention.
- Ensure that victim services are culturally relevant, especially as it pertains to domestic and sexual violence.
We believe that taking these steps will offer Michiganders everywhere the opportunity for life saving progress on a growing crisis of preventable gun violence, injury, and death.
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We at the Liberal Gun Club believe this platform should be adopted nationally by the DNC and anyone who wants to make a positive difference in the lives of the people in this country. Whether you agree with every point made here or not, the efforts to push this rather than focusing on the continued divisiveness of additional gun control efforts can be seen as nothing but positive steps forward.
At the time of this blog post, the organizations that have signed on include:
- American Federation of Teachers – Michigan
- Clean Water Action
- Engage Michigan
- Emergent Justice
- Force Detroit
- Detroit Action
- Michigan Center for Youth Justice
- Michigan People’s Campaign
- Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health (MOASH)
- Michigan United
- Michigan Voices
- National Association of Social Workers Michigan
- NextGen America
- Progress Michigan
- The Liberal Gun Club
- Working Families Party