Outliers: No place for guns here

Hospitals and guns don't mix is the message being sent by the Michigan Health & Hospital Association.

The association supported Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder when he vetoed state legislation last month that would have redrawn gun-free zones and allowed some concealed firearms inside hospitals. To further demonstrate its stance that hospitals should remain gun-free zones to promote health and wellness, the association donated $10,000 to Lansing, Mich.'s gun buyback program.

The buyback program gives people turning in a firearm gift cards worth $50 to $150 for use at participating stores such as the big-box retailer Meijer.

“The MHA and its member hospitals and health systems are not anti-gun; they simply believe that guns do not have a place in hospitals,” MHA President Spencer Johnson says in a statement. “Supporting the voluntary removal of guns from Lansing neighborhoods is just one way we can help ensure hospitals remain gun-free and that our community is healthy and safe.”

Lansing and its population of more than 114,000 recorded 12 violent homicides in 2012, the most since 2008. The city is home to three hospitals: Sparrow Hospital, McLaren Greater Lansing and Sparrow Specialty Hospital.