EAST LANSING, Mich. — Rep. Ranjeev Puri of Michigan's 24th district shared a strong message in the wake of the Michigan State University shooting that killed three and critically injured five.
"F**k your thoughts and prayers," Puri wrote in a press release Monday night.
"We do not need to live like this," he said. "Living in a society plagued with gun violence can be prevented."
13 ON YOUR SIDE spoke to Puri on what the message meant to him.
"We've heard those statements before, those empty promises of thoughts and prayers and meaningless action," he said in an interview Tuesday. "There's only so many times you can read those horrible messages over and over again, and really feel any sense of hope that something is going to change."
When he watched the media coverage of the mass shooting on Feb. 13, he said he felt frustrated with the state's lack of progress.
"I felt a déjà vu, as we've gone through this a few times before."
Puri also shared what he believes must come next for Michigan. He says Governor Gretchen Whitmer's State of the State address was a step in the right direction. Back in the early February speech, Whitmer laid out her plan for common sense gun reform.
"For those of us in elected office, it's our responsibility to pursue changes in the laws that that will help reduce the instances of senseless gun violence in Michigan and our country," he said.
He says him and his colleagues will continue to work on bills and packages that include laws like universal background checks, safe storage laws and extreme risk protection orders.
Puri says it's necessary after decades of inaction in government.
"It's my goal to use this platform and the statement I made to hopefully use that as a conduit to have some productivity and some meaningful conversation on what needs to happen, because I think there's a whole host of things that we should be doing," he said.
While Puri says he's a man of faith, he doesn't think the sentiment of thoughts and prayers are strong enough for what Michigan needs.
"We cannot continue to go decades with dozens and dozens of these shootings, thinking that thoughts and prayers alone are doing anything," he said. "I'm calling on people in position of power to make that change and to fight for a safer Michigan."
Still, Puri believes the state is capable of unity.
"Today, we're all Michiganders. Today, we are committed in Lansing to fighting for a better Michigan," he said. "Today, we're all Spartans."
Watch the full interview below:
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