The MSU Shooter Wouldn’t Have Been Armed If Not for a District Attorney’s Soft-on-Crime Approach
Democrats see gun restrictions as the only policy issue relevant to the shooting. It’s not that simple.
Hudson Crozier & Editorial Team
February 16, 2023
By Hudson Crozier
The story: Anthony McRae, the gunman who fatally shot three students and injured five others at Michigan State University on Monday, would have been barred from owning a gun if not for a progressive district attorney’s policies.
Background: In 2019, McRae was arrested and charged with carrying a concealed firearm without a permit, a felony that would have stripped him of the right to own a gun. Former Ingham County District Attorney Carol Siemon took a lenient approach to gun charges to reduce racial disparities, and her office allowed McRae to plead guilty to a misdemeanor instead. He legally bought two guns after that, which he brought to MSU.
From the left: Michigan Democrats called for new gun control laws after the shooting, including stricter background checks and “red flag” laws. President Joe Biden repeated his longstanding demand to ban “assault” rifles before police revealed the type of gun McRae used.
This has become a trend within the Democratic Party. As Upward News has covered, progressive politicians are eager to push for gun reform after mass shootings, whether their proposals are relevant to the shooting or not. But the left is reluctant to renounce the soft-on-crime policies that undermine existing gun laws.
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