Jacob Wynn owns a gun and believes despite well-meaning intentions to protect more victims from gun violence, more rules will not change things.
Photo courtesy of Jacob Wynn
The Oxford High School shooting in late November left not only victims and their families in the wake of this senseless tragedy but also spurred ongoing conversations — and potential legislation — that could change laws for gun owners.
MLive reported that the Oxford shooting influenced Democrats to introduce gun safety bills, especially Sen. Rosemary Bayer, D-Beverly Hills, (representing the district, which includes Oxford) who is seeking multiple new gun control bills that would impact the sale of gun magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.
According to the article, recently Michigan House and Senate Democrats (including Bayer) spoke at a press conference to further explain the bill package.
Prohibiting the sale and possession of firearm magazines that hold over 10 rounds of ammunition would be under Senate Bills 785 and 786 and House Bills 5627 and 5628. Also, the bill includes wording to declare selling or owning high-capacity magazines would be a misdemeanor, according to the article.
Individuals who also own firearms with high-capacity magazines before Jan. 1, 2023, would have to report it to their nearby law enforcement agency to remain in legal standing as a gun owner.
States like New York, Connecticut, Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Hawaii, Maryland, California, Vermont and Washington D.C. have similar laws.
Michigan presently has in place a two-year minimum mandatory prison sentence for people who commit a felony while in possession of a firearm, the article added.
Policies Aren’t the Problem
On Friday, December 3, Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald filed charges against gunman Ethan Crumbley‘s parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley.
According to reports, the Crumbleys are facing four counts of involuntary manslaughter each after their son took a semiautomatic handgun to school on November 30 and opened fire in the hallway, killing four students.
Investigators later revealed Crumbley’s parents were contacted by school officials about behavioral issues teachers reported just hours before the tragic shooting. Specifically, on November 21, a teacher saw Ethan searching ammunition on his cellphone during class and reported it to administrators.
During a press conference, it was revealed that Ethan was with his father when the gun was purchased just four days before the shooting.
On Saturday, December 11, at a Westland-based gun range, Firing Line, Black Bottom Gun Club members met for their monthly meeting to discuss historical and present-day facts about guns and gun ownership.
The gun club was started in 2011 by chapter president and co-founder Chad King and Kofi Kenyatta because there were no local clubs that had interests representative of Black people.
King spoke with the Michigan Chronicle about how the potentially stricter gun laws would not be a good idea.
“There is not one single answer, no one single solution,” King said. “There needs to be a wraparound approach relative to education … and early education about firearms, which is something that Black Bottom Gun club [does around] early education. … We keep it moving.”
Jacob Wynn, chairman of the Detroit-based Young Politician Committee (and a gun owner for over two years) told the Michigan Chronicle that he bought his gun for several reasons.
“It’s my constitutional right to bear arms and to protect myself if the need arises. I also enjoy spending time on the range, as it has developed into a hobby,” the local resident said.
Overall, Black Americans are purchasing more guns at a fast speed with gun ownership hiking up by 58.2 percent last year, Black Enterprise reported.
According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Black Americans are buying firearms at gun stores, and they’ve been buying them for a variety of reasons according to The Guardian, including reasons like:
- Pandemic stress.
- The growing number of mass shootings.
- Armed white protestors rallying in opposition to lockdown orders and those in favor of white supremacy.
Wynn said that he’s empathetic to the Oxford tragedy. “There are no words to describe the tragedy that has taken place at Oxford High School.”
Wynn added that while the gun policies in place on the state level may be “strong,” criminals will always find a way to acquire guns regardless of new policies or regulations.
“The policy wasn’t the problem,” Wynn said, adding that a criminal will find a way to proceed with a crime. “In this situation, the parents knew the child was dealing with psychological issues. … A conversation on enforcing state gun codes should be held with the school district to ensure firearms are not permitted on premises. All schools should have devices that can detect firearms or any object that is not a school supply. This enforcement falls on local districts, as the state has done its job by allowing lawful citizens to bear arms through a legal process. If gun owners choose to be neglectful, they must face the ramifications of their decisions or lack thereof.”
Black Information Network contributed to this report.
About Post Author
