Did you know? The 2017-2018 session in our state’s legislature is full of gun bills as a result of House Republicans’ commitment to “defend second amendment rights” in this session.
As a result, most of the gun bills you will see below have been introduced by Republicans. However, only a few have been introduced by Democrat House Representatives. Even some Senate Republicans are in on the action.
Gun Bills Pending In Michigan
Here is a list of the gun bills currently pending in Michigan:
Concealed carry without a permit
The impetus behind this bill is that it’s currently legal to openly carry a gun in the state of Michigan, for any law-abiding citizen, without any sort of training, or regulation. The House actually passed this legislation in June 2017 but it’s been waiting in the Government Operations Committee since then.
Concealed carry legalization for 18 to 20-year-olds
This one passed in November. It allows 18 to 20-year-olds to obtain a concealed carry license with all of the proper training that requires.
Gun ownership and foster parenthood
There is some concern that gun owners are being turned down as potential foster and adoptive parents, even though some people would say this has no bearing on their ability to be good parents.
Currently, the state requires foster parents to store their guns securely and out of reach of children. One of the bills would allow foster parents to carry a gun on their person in the presence of a child. The other would prohibit the legal gun ownership of prospective parents from being a factor in whether they are chosen.
Allowing concealed carry in gun-free areas
The Senate bill was passed in November. Before that, through a loophole in the law, concealed carry in traditionally gun-free areas like schools, day care centers, stadiums, and bars was illegal. However, open carry was not.
These bills swapped that, allowing for concealed carry in those places (which requires extra training). It is waiting to be passed by Governor Snyder, who has historically been against such legislature.
The two house bills have different variations of allowing for more gun carrying in traditionally gun-free zones.
Additional Gun Bills
Some of the other bills that have been written, some of which are pending, are listed below.
No registration for pistols
No carrying in police stations
No local gun laws
Making it a crime to make guns accessible to minors
Personal protection orders no longer a bar to carrying in some places
More arms at military facilities
Making personal protection orders stricter
Allowing establishments prohibit open carry
Allowing qualified people to carry in gun-free zones
Allowing exceptions for pistol licensing
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a number of gun issues being discussed in our government right now. With second amendment laws being discussed so much right now, we will keep you up to date with what is going on with Michigan’s gun laws.
