Michigan gun laws are about to change. But how? Read on to find out…
Gun laws are a highly charged topic of debate for many people. Here in Michigan, where every year hundreds of thousands of people hunt and shoot, gun rights and gun ownership are hotly contested subjects. In the end, what it always comes back to is a U.S. citizen’s Second Amendment right to bear arms, and whether or not that should be trumped by safety.
In the previous article in the series we opened the discussion about current Michigan gun laws that were being considered for change, and new possible laws being introduced. We discussed the proposal to do away with concealed pistol license (CPL), the bill to ban civilians from carrying guns into police stations, and the proposed criminalizing of guns that aren’t properly secured. Moving on, we’re going to look at the next three bills being considered right now.
Expanding the number of places people may legally carry guns:
Currently, Michigan law is very specific about the places a lawful gun owner may not carry their weapon – schools, sports arenas, hospitals, and university campuses, to name a few. However, House Bill 4565 aims to change that, by increasing the number of places that legal gun owners may carry their weapons.
Should this bill become law in Michigan, it would do away with the prohibitions on many of these off-limits places, including financial institutions (banks and credit unions), churches and other places of worship, theaters, sports arenas, day care centers and hospitals. This bill has received a great deal of negative press because of the guns-in-schools issue.
Expanding the number of places people with PPOs can carry guns:
House Bill 4268 would allow certain people with personal protection orders (PPOs) to carry their legally obtained guns in a larger number of places. Specifically, in places where it would otherwise not be allowed. This bill aims to increase the protections afforded to people who are in danger from specific individuals, and may need to defend themselves or their children.
Getting rid of local gun laws:
A bill that is currently pending in the House Local Government Committee is the one that deals with banning local gun laws in Michigan. If this was signed into law, all local governments in Michigan who chose to pass gun control ordinances would have no more than 60 days to ensure that those laws were in accordance with state law.
In the event that a local government (like a township, city or county) passed a gun regulation that was contrary to state law and then enforced it on their residents, those resident would be within their rights to bring a legal action in a circuit court, or to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office. Local officials who knowingly enforced unlawful gun regulations could be fined up to $7,500 by the court. In other words, the proposed law would cause state law to preempt any locally passed gun laws or ordinances.
Join us next time as we wrap up this discussion about potential future changes to Michigan’s gun laws. Until then, if you or one of your loved ones has been accused of weapon-related crime anywhere in the lower peninsula, contact The Kronzek Firm at 866 766 5245 immediately. Our experienced trial attorneys have defended countless people accused of murder, assault with a weapon, armed robbery, and many other crimes. We can help you too.