A somber air fell over the Capitol on Tuesday, as the flag stood half-mast and lawmakers in each chamber took a moment to remember the three students killed in the Michigan Student University shooting.
“It was one year ago today that the MSU community, the state of Michigan, actually our whole country, was impacted by a tragedy when a gunman came to the campus and took the lives of three students, wounded five more and impacted a generation of Michigan State students, faculty, staff and members of our community. A year later, the community is still mourning and finding a way forward,” state Senate Majority Floor Leader Sam Singh (D-East Lansing) said in a statement on the Senate floor.
On the night of Feb. 13, 2023, a gunman killed three students and seriously injured three more on the MSU campus.
“Arielle Anderson, Brian Fraser, Alexandria Verner, they were young students who had their whole life and potential in front of them. When you talk to their families, you talk to their classmates, you talk to their teachers and faculty. They all had incredible pasts that they were trying to bring forward. And unfortunately, in the day of tragedy, they saw that lost,” Singh said.
Singh said in talking to students and faculty ahead of the one year anniversary of the shooting, people are still mourning. The university canceled classes on Tuesday. He outlined the opportunities to give and receive support, including a 7 p.m. vigil in front of the Spartan Statue on the university’s campus.
Lawmakers each had a white bag lit by a green light on their desk, as Singh explained that students on campus were writing messages of support on the bag and lighting them with the candle inside the bag.
“We’re asking those of you who are comfortable doing that to participate with them whether it’s in your office, but across our campus and community at 7 p.m. we will be lighting those whether you’re in person for the vigil or not,” Singh said.
At the conclusion of his statement, the Senate held a moment of silence for the students who were killed a year prior.
In the House, Rep. Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Twp.) joined with approximately two dozen other legislators from both parties, as she introduced House Resolution 185.
“It’s a heavy day here in the legislature and across our state as we remember the tragedy that occurred exactly one year ago today when horrific and senseless violence took the lives of Brian Fraser, Arielle Anderson, and Alexandria Verner and injured five other students and forever impacted our entire MSU community, the students, staff, alumni, and families of Spartans across our state and nation,” Brixie said.
“Many of us in this chamber are Spartan alumni and all of us are connected to MSU in one way or another. Looking around the chamber, I see so many colleagues from both sides of the aisle wearing green to show their unity with the MSU community. I appreciate you showing your support today. In addition to placing a green luminary in your window tonight, to demonstrate the strength and size of our community, I invite you all to sign on to resolution 185, which commemorates this tragedy and serves as a memorial to the victims,” Brixie said.
The resolution expresses gratitude for the first responders, law enforcement, 911 dispatchers, medical and mental health professionals, and community members for their work to ensure the safety and wellbeing of students and the community.
It also reaffirms that the Legislature will continue to honor those affected with action to prevent future acts of gun violence, ensure the safety of all, promote mental health awareness and support and foster a culture of peace, safety, respect, and compassion.
“I urge all of you to vote to let the thousands of Michiganders still grieving and healing from this tragedy know that we stand in solidarity with them and offer our strength and compassion on this somber anniversary. Finally, I want to thank Rep. [Doug] Wozniak’s staff for their help in preparing this resolution.”
After passage, the House also held a moment of silence in memory of the lives lost a year ago at MSU.
Earlier in the day, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released a statement encouraging members of the MSU community to lean on one another.
“It’s what we do best. Spartans are strong because we always have each other’s backs. Let’s stand united as we remember those we lost, support those who bear scars both seen and unseen from that day, and continue to heal and process together,” She said in a statement.
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist also shared his support and called for further changes to address gun violence.
“School should be a place of learning and opportunity, not a place of fear. No parent should be afraid to send their child to school. No student should be afraid to enter a classroom. We must support common sense gun laws to restore a common sense of peace,” Gilchrist said.
U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) and U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) also shared their thoughts, with Slotkin highlighting the actions of students and lawmakers in the wake of the shooting.
“We can’t mark this anniversary without acknowledging the strength and activism we witnessed by students in the days, weeks and months after the shooting. Student leaders organized rallies and vigils both large and small, on campus and at our Capitol,” Slotkin said.
“We should also recognize the concrete change that has come from the shooting. Just five weeks later, the Michigan Legislature passed historic gun safety legislation in the wake of this tragedy. Many students and parents testified at the legislative hearings. And Governor Gretchen Whitmer proudly signed those bills into law on MSU’s campus in April. They go into effect today,” Slotkin said.
Slotkin also noted that she would be attending the vigil on campus.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel shared her support for Anderson’s, Verner’s and Fraser’s families, and called for continued action to address gun violence.
“Each year, over 450 Michigan residents die by gun homicides, and nearly 100 of these victims are minors. That’s 450 families each year who must grapple with the devastating consequences of the gun violence epidemic, which has robbed far too many of their sense of security, their loved ones, and the futures they hoped for together,” Nessel said.
“I pledged to do more than just offer thoughts and prayers in response to the tragedies that occurred at MSU and Oxford High School. My department worked closely with Governor Whitmer and the Michigan legislature to fulfill that promise, resulting in the gun safety laws that take effect today,” Nessel said. “While this is tremendous progress, our work here is not done, and we must all commit, today and every day, to continue the work we started in addressing this crisis.”
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