The Ingham County Prosecutor’s office has increased its enforcement of felony firearm violations this year.
John Dewane became Ingham County’s chief prosecuting attorney at the beginning of the year. Since then, his office has charged 447 individuals with committing a felony while using or possessing a firearm.
That’s over four times as many charges compared to the 95 offenses prosecuted at this time last year.
Dewane said the county needs to discourage residents from turning to violence. He believes the felony firearm charge should deter individuals from committing a crime, though he expressed disappointment with recent incidents of gun violence in the community.
“We have just way too many guns in our community and way too much access to them," Dewane said. "And that people unfortunately resolve their differences by picking up a gun and shooting somebody, and not thinking about it, and not thinking about the repercussions.”
Carol Siemon, the previous county prosecutor, limited use of felony firearm charges. She argued the law does not make communities safer and disproportionally impacts Black people.
Dewane said his office doesn’t consider a person’s identity when examining a criminal case.
Individuals charged under the felony firearm law receive a mandatory two-year prison sentence, with longer penalties for repeated offenses.
Ingham County Prosecutor John Dewane said his office wants to prevent incidents of gun violence. He noted his office is collaborating with Advance Peace, an initiative to try and combat gang-related incidents of retaliation through community outreach and mentorship.
“I hope the numbers are reduced next year," Dewane said. "I hope I don't have to charge as many felony firearm cases as I do. I hope we reduce the number of people committing homicides."
Multiple new gun safety laws passed by the state legislature are set to take effect next year, including universal background checks, safe storage requirements, and a red flag law.
Dewane said he supports the new laws and hopes the stricter access to firearms will reduce gun-related crimes in Ingham County.