THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2025

This tragedy was the second mass shooting incident at Florida State in recent memory. While our sympathies are obviously with the victims, "thoughts and prayers" are not enough. Gun violence is a public health crisis. According to the Gun Violence Archive, the United States has experienced 81 mass shootings in 2025, which is only 107 days old. This week alone, six people were killed and 29 others were injured in six mass shootings.

Our gun violence crisis can be addressed through education and prevention. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of mass shootings, too often political leaders use the immediate grief of victims as an excuse to avoid doing the work to address gun violence. That is unacceptable.

After Oxford, we did something different in Oakland County - we acted. Through our community-led Commission to Address Gun Violence and the All of Us Foundation, we've established Protocols for Action to address and prevent gun violence. There is much more to do. It requires leadership and a will to solve this problem, rather than hide from it. No one person has all the answers, but if we work together as Americans, we can solve this problem. And we must solve it, because no one should have to fear gun violence when they go to school, park, or grocery store. -- Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald