Statement from state Rep. Tenisha Yancey (D-Harper Woods) on the national school walk out

LANSING — Today, students all across the country and Michigan walked out of their classrooms in solidarity to remember the needless deaths of the 17 Parkland students, teachers and administrators one month ago. In response, state Rep. Tenisha Yancey (D-Harper Woods) issued the following statement:

“Schools are meant to be places of learning, safety and sanctuary for children, faculty and staff. I fully support the students exercising their First Amendment rights to facilitate dialogues on the need for change. On an average day, 96 Americans are killed with guns. Statistics have shown that gun violence disproportionately affects women, people of color and children. In an average month, 50 women are shot to death by their partners in the United States. Black men are 13 times more likely than white men to be shot and killed with a gun. Seven children and teens are killed with guns in the United States on an average day[1]. This is unacceptable.

“As a woman of color, and a single mother of a 17-year-old black male, I support common-sense solutions to combat this growing problem. The Legislature needs to adopt proactive policy solutions to prevent gun violence and crime in our communities. House Democrats have introduced bills to require universal background checks when purchasing a gun and prohibit individuals who a judge has deemed are a danger to themselves and others from possessing a gun.

“Second amendment rights and the right to attend to safe and secure school are not mutually exclusive. We can protect both. As leaders and lawmakers, we can no longer sit idly by while families deal with the aftermath of continued inaction. I call on House Republicans to begin working with House Democrats to move our legislation toward final passage”