Giffords visits Lansing to push for gun reform

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - The push for gun reform in Michigan continues Wednesday morning at the state capitol with former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords joining state lawmakers calling on legislators to pass gun reform in the Senate.

Giffords is a survivor of gun violence herself. In 2011 she was shot in the head in Tucson, Arizona by a gunman who killed six people and injured 12 others.

After the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in 2012, Giffords started an organization dedicated to passing gun reform across the U.S.

Her visit to the capitol comes one day after Pres. Joe Biden signed an executive order Tuesday to increase the number of background checks that will be required to purchase guns here in the U.S.

Here in Mid-Michigan, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would require background checks for all gun purchases in Michigan. The passing of this bill comes one month after the mass shooting at Michigan State University, where three students were killed and five others were critically injured.

Days after the tragedy students and staff gathered both on campus and at the state Capitol, demanding change.

This week the Senate is expected to vote on background checks. Lawmakers are also pushing for safe storage and red flag laws.

If the Senate passes these bills Gov. Whitmer signaled she would sign the gun reform packages.

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