Wayne County Commissioner Reggie “Reg” Davis hosted a town-hall meeting through Ceasefire Youth Initiative to discuss gun violence in the City of Detroit. Davis founded the non-profit organization after his 19-year-old brother lost his life to gun violence. Cops, mental-health experts and elected officials held court at Artist Village on Grand River and Lasher. Each panelist voiced their stance on gun violence solutions in front of a packed house. Those in attendance included State Rep. Robert Wittenburg, Deputy Chief Marlon Wilson, Deputy Chief Todd Bettison, and more.
Davis wants to implement a bullet bill that will change the process of how one can purchase a weapon. “It’s a lot of different layers,” said Davis. “One, it talks about putting a tax on the ammunition. Wittenburg introduced the red flag legislation which would allow police to confiscate a person’s gun if a judge decided they were a threat to themselves or the community. He defended the bill by reassuring the community that no one would have their weapon confiscated unless there was evidence of wrongdoing. “Certainly, how it works is, unless you commit a crime, there is no ability for someone to temporarily seize your weapons,” Wittenberg said.
Members of the community shared their perspective on the solutions being presented at the town hall meeting. “You don’t have to go into those types of places to purchase ammunition, it can easily be made at home,” said Tanisha Moner, a firearm instructor. Legally Armed in Detroit member Rick Ector said that everyone must look at gun violence in Detroit from a multitude of angles. “There is no single answer to the violence problem,” said Ector. “It is a multi-faceted problem.”
It was fitting for the town hall to be held on Detroit’s Westside rather than anywhere else. These types of meetings must take place where the people reside as opposed to other areas.
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