LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Lansing Mayor Andy Schor is calling on state lawmakers to enact stricter gun-related penalties as part of an effort to curb violence in the Capitol City.
He was joined in a press event by Ellery Sosebee, Lansing’s chief of police.
Sosebee says since Jan. 1, 2023, Lansing Police have responded to 944 shots-fired calls. Officers have seized more than 400 guns as well. He said violent crime has decreased “slightly” this year, but that more needs to be done, and legislative action will help.
He and Schor said they want to see harsher penalties for what they labeled “careless” gun owners – like leaving firearms unsecured and unattended. They also want to see more to address “ghost guns,” or guns that can be assembled – sometimes even 3-D printed – at home. They have no serial numbers, meaning they are untraceable by law enforcement.
Sosebee said giving city governments and law enforcement the chance to ask for harsher penalties related to firearms will help crack down on what he says is a small group of individuals.
“This is another effort to educate people to get that piece out there that: you have a gun, you need to make sure it’s secured and know where it is at all times, keep ammunition away from it so it doesn’t fall in the wrong hands whether it gets picked up by a child, or stolen out of your car, out of your home or out of your business,” Sosebee said. “That’s the intended and the hope that some of these proposals will help us get through.”
Schor is asking members of the city council to approve a resolution supporting the legislation that is pending in the state legislature. He said he has been in active communication with local lawmakers about the legislation.
