Michigan Task Force Pushes Age 21 Limit for Gun Purchases and Outlines Many More Policy Changes

The new state report recommends raising the firearm purchase age and outlines a broad list of additional reforms.

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, convened under the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, released a comprehensive set of evidence-based recommendations Monday aimed at reducing firearm deaths and injuries across the state.

The announcement comes just days before the four-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Oxford High School, which claimed four lives. Task force members say gun violence remains an urgent public health crisis in Michigan, with more than 11,000 preventable firearm deaths and injuries reported this year.

Key recommendations:

The task force’s report includes a set of proposed policy changes:

• Establish universal waiting periods for all firearm purchases.
• Raise the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21.
• Close the “concealed pistol license loophole” that allows certain purchases without a permit or background check.
• Ban untraceable “ghost guns.”
• Strengthen safe-storage laws and expand public education on securing firearms.
• Improve school safety through standardized school resource officer training and statewide school tip-line programs.
• Expand community violence intervention programs targeting root causes of gun violence.
• Strengthen red-flag laws and domestic violence protections by improving procedures for firearm relinquishment and access to protective orders.
• Prohibit assault-style weapons, large-capacity magazines and devices that convert semiautomatic firearms into automatic fire.
• Create a statewide Firearm Safety Policy Implementation Team to oversee execution of recommendations.

The Great Lakes Gun Rights Group posted this statement on it’s X social media account voicing opposition to the plan.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Department of Health and Human Services just released its Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force report — and it reads like a blueprint for the gun control lobby’s wish list in 2026 and beyond.

This wasn’t written by neutral “public-health experts.”

This came straight out of Gov. Whitmer’s MDHHS, packed with activists, bureaucrats, and gun control lobby partners who believe firearm ownership is a public-health problem to be “managed.”

And buried in the middle of their so-called “recommendations” is exactly what you and I have warned about for years:

A call for sweeping new gun control — including the groundwork for an “assault weapons” ban, magazine bans, and stricter purchase restrictions.

The report openly urges Michigan lawmakers to go beyond the 2024 gun control laws and adopt “best practices from other states.”

Leadership statements

Governor Gretchen Whitmer said the state must “keep getting it done and save lives,” noting that progress since the Oxford shooting has not been enough. Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II said no Michigander should feel unsafe because of gun violence. Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, the state’s chief medical executive and chair of the task force, emphasized that firearm injuries are now the leading cause of death for children and teens nationwide.

Background

The task force was created under Executive Order 2024-4 and includes community partners, tribal representatives, law enforcement officials, researchers, medical experts and survivors of gun violence. Members reviewed data, heard testimony and surveyed national and international best practices before issuing the final report.

The state has already implemented several firearm-related policies in recent years, including safe-storage requirements and extreme risk protection orders, but the task force says gaps remain in enforcement, education and consistency across jurisdictions.

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Next steps

The report serves as a roadmap rather than immediate law. The task force recommends coordinated action by lawmakers, local governments, schools and law enforcement agencies. Implementation and available funding will determine how quickly the recommendations can move forward.

Why it matters

Michigan has recorded more than 11,000 firearm-related deaths and injuries this year, underscoring what the task force describes as a preventable public health problem. The timing also highlights the continued impact of the Oxford tragedy, now four years later, and the ongoing debate about how to keep communities safe.

Potential challenges

Some recommendations, including raising the firearm purchase age and banning assault-style weapons, are expected to face political and legal pushback. Michigan’s existing firearm laws and constitutional protections could also limit how quickly or broadly some policies can be implemented.