House Bills 5301-5304 were introduced by state Reps. Tom Barrett, R-Potterville; Lee Chatfield, R-Levering; Triston Cole, R-Mancelona; and Jim Runestad, R-White Lake.
The GOP with the hope of bi-partisian support due to this being a major election year have put forth a series of bills that look to remove the existing restrictions required to conceal carry.
One of their things we support about this bill is it will not remove the ability for people to obtrain a CPL should they so choose. For those of us who travel on a regular basis this is an important fact. Michigan’s CPL is recognized by the most states possible with only the most anti-gun states not accepting reciprocity.
The bill aims to place into law the Second Amendment rights of Michigan residents to bear arms without asking the government’s permission to do so,” Rep. Barrett said. “The current concealed weapons permit amounts to nothing more than a state tax on a freedom guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.”
Tom Lambert of Michigan Open Carry has said :
“I think they are very well done. They are clean and they are focused. Rather than trying to do everything at once, they focus in on a specific issue and address it in the way it should be addressed. For example: rather than just deleting 750.227 (2), they change it to apply only to those prohibited from possessing a firearm. That is how this statute should work. Law-abiding citizens are not the problem, it’s the criminals.”
(Existing statues: http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?mcl-750-227)
The bill would make concealed carry legal everywhere outside the current concealed pistol free zones. This includes in your vehicle, on your bike, snowmobile or other motorized vehicle. You can read about the specifics via the links below.
David Dellinger of Michigan Gun Owners (MGO) had this to say
“Michigan Gun Owners endorses passage of HB 5301-5304. This package of legislation reflects the guarantees that are found in Article 1, Section 6 of the Michigan Constitution, something that Michigan Gun Owners holds as one of its core beliefs.”
Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owwners (MCRGO) has not taken an official stance as of yet. Though the most recent post on Facebook would indicate some concerns regarding the legislation. This is from their Facebook page:
Several Michigan House Republicans have introduced the latest round of constitutional carry legislation. What makes this package different than others is the stronger likelihood of having the legislation considered especially in an election year with Democratic candidates making a partisan issue out of gun control. What hasn’t changed is Snyder’s reluctance to support broad change in Michigan gun laws. MCRGO’s board will consider a position on the package this month. We are aware of the concerns from some carry advocates about the lack of mandated training in the bills conflicting with broad support for permitless carry. Should training be required to carry concealed? It is not required currently for open carry except in some PFZs.
This may be simply a test of their membership as Brady Schickinger did make the following statement to me:
“This is an exciting development that could see some traction in the House and resistance from the administration.”
As a gun rights page we take the rights of gun owners very seriously and as such support bills that make it easier for law-abiding citizens to exercise their right to own and carry firearms.
As you know 248Shooter and GATDaily take firearms training very seriously. In our opinion the existing CPL regulations do not actually do anything to prepare a citizen to carry a weapon. The very nature of the required course is focused on self-defense in the home and not related to training or education relevant to carrying a gun.
Education should be a personal requirement of every person that carries a weapon. Since the mandated education is currently insufficient we see no issue with the removal of the requirement. It is my hope however that each and every gun owner not only practices and train, but actively acquire and re-acquire a useful skill set related to their personal needs.
Self-regulation and self-responsibility are the corner stones to a free market and society. While I applaud this legislation and it’s attempt to reduce the barrier to gun ownership we as a people need to accept this responsibility and show the anti-gun crowd that their fears and claims are unfounded. We can only do that by carrying responsibly.
Take a moment and thank the representatives who sponsored this series of bills:
Reps. Tom Barrett, R-Potterville; Lee Chatfield, R-Levering; Triston Cole, R-Mancelona; and Jim Runestad, R-White Lake.
In addition call your representative and ask why they didn’t help sponsor this bill. Make sure to encourage them to do so moving forward.
As this continues to evolve rest assured we will keep you updated on the legal stance as well as the stance of the various groups working to ensure the success of this bill.
Source Article from http://248shooter.com/index.php/constitutional-carry-permitless-carry-back-in-the-michigan-legislature/
