Gun Violence Prevention Town Hall on March 23, Sunshine Week, and more

Gun Violence Prevention Town Hall on March 23, Sunshine Week, and more

Dear Neighbor,

Here is some information that I hope you will find helpful, including news and resources from your state government.

Please join me this Monday, March 23, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for a Gun Violence Prevention Town Hall at the Ingham County Human Services Building, Conference Room A, 5303 S. Cedar St., Lansing. I will be joined by special guest Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Chief Medical Executive for the State of Michigan, who will present on the Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force’s 2025 report and recommendations. We’ll also hear from local gun violence prevention activists, experts, and community leaders. Community members are welcome to share their questions and concerns during this event. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP:

I am proud to have my legislation to regulate retail gun sellers be part of the Firearm Safety and Gun Violence Prevention Caucus’s recent legislative package. My bill (HB 5065) would require gun dealers to obtain a state gun sellers license and comply with commonsense measures, like performing background checks on their employees and storing their inventory in a secure manner.

Other bills in the package would:

• Ban high-capacity magazines, bump stocks, and multiburst triggers that allow semi-automatic firearms to rapidly fire like machine guns (HBs 5750–5751, SBs 224 and 851).
• Require gun purchasers to wait three days between the sale and pickup (HB 5743, SB 848).
• Require gun purchasers be age 21 or older and successfully complete firearm safety training (HBs 5752–5754).
• Allow gun violence victims to file civil lawsuits against firearm manufacturers should a crime be committed with their product (HBs 5758–5760).
• Close a loophole that allows CPL holders to open carry in gun free zones and add libraries, the Capitol grounds and state-owned or -leased buildings to the list of gun free zones (HB 5741–5742; SBs 849–850).
• Prohibit firearms in the Michigan Capitol, House, and Senate (HBs 5747–5748; SBs 225–226).
• Give local governments the option to prohibit firearms in their government buildings (HB 5749 and SB 852).
• Prevent drive-by shootings by increasing penalties for anyone who harms or kills a child while intentionally shooting at a house or otherwise occupied building (HBs 5744–5746).

You can view the Firearm Safety and Gun Violence Prevention Caucus’s press conference on the package here.

I attempted to re-introduce a resolution this week to commemorate Sunshine Week, which is March 15-21. Sunshine Week is a national initiative to draw attention to the importance of open government, public access to government documents and meetings, and to the media’s role in promoting government transparency. Republican House leadership refused to bring the resolution forward to the House floor, so it could not be introduced. In the interest of transparency and open government, I am releasing it to the public.

I continued to celebrate March is Reading Month by reading to 5th grade students at Gardner Elementary School and 1st grade students at Dwight Rich School of the Arts, both in Lansing. This month is a great time to encourage kids to get excited about reading. The 5th graders and I enjoyed reading Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio while the first graders loved Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems.

Follow my official Facebook account for the most up-to-date information. E-news contains a lot of good information, but it takes several days – up to a week – to get it approved and sent.

Sincerely,

Kara Hope
State Representative
House District 74

Starting this tax season, the IRS will no longer send paper checks to taxpayers for their federal tax refunds. Refunds instead will be issued by direct deposit or other secure electronic methods. Having an account with a financial institution is necessary to receive your refund. To prepare for this, taxpayers should establish a relationship with a bank or credit union now if they have not already done so. The Michigan Open Account Coalition offers certified low or no-cost account options at nearly 40 financial institutions. For more information, visit Michigan.gov/DIFSOpenAccount.

United Way of South Central Michigan’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program will have mobile tax prep units at Capital Area District Library branches in Lansing through mid-April. Households earning up to $69,000 can get free tax preparation services from trained, IRS-certified tax preparers. Register for an appointment here.