U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (left, D-12th District) speaks about gun violence at the Feb. 21 Dearborn City Council meeting as City Clerk George Darany and City Councilmembers Mustapha Hammoud, Ken Paris, Leslie Herrick and Michael Sareini listen.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Times-Herald Newspapers
DEARBORN – U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-12th District) spoke about gun violence and the frustration legislators feel during the Feb. 21 City Council meeting.
Tlaib said she wants to hear from residents about the challenges people in her district face so she can share those stories with her colleagues in Washington, D.C., so that they are motivated to react with urgency.
“I can share the story of a young girl in my district that is impacted by the MSU shooting,” she said. “She may not have been shot, but the mental health and the PTSD – I mean, she is dealing with the trauma right now of the fact that she has to go to this place that she thought was safe.”
Tlaib said she also encourages anyone with a gun to get a lock box to store it to prevent accidental deaths, especially among young children.
“Your Dearborn police department has those lock boxes, no questions asked, go in there, it’s free,” she said. “They also have gun locks.”
Tlaib said she is part of a gun reform task force and is learning about the distinction of the different types of guns, such as weapons of war and those for hunting.
“This is important because we do have an addiction to guns in our country in a way that is not even just about our rights anymore,” she said. “It is used to justify a lot of other actions.”
Tlaib said shootings are not just occurring in schools anymore. They are happening in faith-based locations, movie theaters and grocery stores.
She said residents are living in fear because of assault weapons that can take many lives in a short period of time.
“These are weapons of war that we have to be taught and trained to use, but you can go ahead at the store and go buy one,” Tlaib said.
She said that while she knows many responsible gun owners who take the extra effort to secure their guns to help ensure that their communities and the country are safe, people shouldn’t have to live with the fear that they might become a victim of gun violence.