'It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way,' Whitmer Says After MSU Shooting

MICHIGAN — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer called gun violence "a uniquely American problem" and said "it doesn’t have to be this way" after three students and five others were wounded in a deadly shooting Monday night at Michigan State University.

"MSU’s campus is a special place for so many, and it is now the site of another senseless act of gun violence," Whitmer said. "Parents across Michigan were on pins and needles calling their kids to check in on them and tell them they love them."

"It doesn’t have to be this way," she added.

The Michigan State Capitol is roughly four miles away from the Berkey Hall, where the suspected gunman initially opened fire.

Monday night's shooting at the university will likely push state lawmakers to renew conversations about additional restrictions on firearms in Michigan.

Whitmer, a Democrat, has called for stricter gun control measures, including universal background checks, safe storage laws and red-flag laws.

"Certain places are supposed to be about community, learning, or joy—elementary schools and college campuses, movie theaters and dance halls, grocery stores and workplaces," Whitmer said. "They should not be the sites of bloodshed."

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Democrats made similar calls for gun reform in December 2021 after four students were killed and seven other people were wounded in the deadly Oxford school shooting. Republicans, who controlled the state legislature at the time blocked all votes on the measures.

Democrats retook control of the state House and Senate for the first time in nearly 40 years in last November's elections and have suggested they will prioritize gun-reform this term.

"This is a uniquely American problem. Too many of us scan rooms for exits when we enter them. We plan who that last text or call would go too," Whitmer said. "We should not, we cannot, accept living like this."

"Spartans will cry and hold each other a little closer. We will mourn the loss of beautiful souls and pray for those fighting for their lives in the hospital," she added.