This has been a deeply dark, tragic week for my district and across the state of Michigan. Michigan State University, the students and faculty that attend, and the greater East Lansing community and beyond are all irreparably changed by an act of senseless violence.

On Tuesday, I stopped by to thank the amazing folks at Sparrow Hospital, where injured students were taken. Doctors, nurses, staff, pathologists, and so many more streamed in as they managed to run five operating rooms simultaneously.

Leadership is often defined in a crisis, and what amazed me was how the hospital team had to both manage the frenzy of so many patients, but also have the humanity to hold the hands of parents, sit in the waiting room with them, and in some horrible instances, hold them as they identified their children. Their work has been remarkable, and I couldn’t be more proud to represent this place.

I’ve also seen that leadership come from folks within our community who are fed up. Since Monday, I’ve received more messages of support for MSU and East Lansing than I can count. But I’ve also gotten a lot of texts and calls from Republican constituents, business owners and local leaders who I know to be avid hunters and sportsmen. These folks call to tell me that while they love their hobby and don’t want someone taking their guns, they also can't stand to see our children killed in their schools.

These folks are just as fed up and angry as anyone who’s been calling me. They are parents and grandparents who are watching our children change because of gun violence and who want something done. This is a change that I started to see happen in Michigan after Oxford, deepened with Uvalde, and has now ramped up in earnest with the shooting at MSU.

But this is what I think the elected leaders in Washington are totally missing. They are the last to get the memo. The country is changing, while these politicians remain scared of the vocal minority who refuses to talk about any gun safety changes whatsoever.

There is no need to choose between having a gun for hunting or sport and caring about protecting our kids in places that should be their sanctuaries. You can do both. But our elected officials somehow think it’s heresy to even come to the table to discuss how to keep our kids safe from gun violence. They are just missing it.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death among American children. That’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. What’s happened at MSU is now the second school mass shooting in my district in less than a year and a half — more loss, more devastated families, and another broken community.

Our children deserve to feel safe at school. They shouldn’t have to live in constant fear. I’m willing to work with anyone to address the gun violence epidemic and I won’t give up, even when some aren't even willing to come to the table to begin with.

In the coming days and weeks, more facts will emerge from this horrible tragedy that help guide our work to ensure these students did not die in vain. I just hope my colleagues in Congress have the courage to act and save lives.

Elissa
 


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