BelaHedgehog
Inactive
The following is a release I recieved from the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners:
Well it took six years, but we finally passed CCW.
After then-Representative Alan Cropsey's first Concealed-weapons bill died in committee at the end of the 1994-1995 session, MCRGO formed out of his office to pass a CCW bill. Four years later, we finally we managed to play a major role in getting a "shall-issue" CCW bill passed. Ironically, Alan Cropsey had left the House due to term limits two years prior, but he still shepherded the bill through the legislature as a member of MCRGO's Board of Directors.
The legislative fight to pass a CCW bill, as most of you know, was taken up by Rep. Mike Green, and over the last two years, it's been Rep. Greens' hallmark project.
This afternoon we passed it out of the House, and this evening we passed it out of the Senate. HB 4530 will soon be signed into law and Michigan will become the 32nd "shall-issue" state in the United States.
This bill mandates that gun boards now follow a uniform standard when issuing concealed weapons permits. In essence, if an applicant is not a convicted felon and has no record of mental illness, the gun board must issue a general CCW to him or her if that applicant has passed a background check and a training course mirroring the current NRA personal protection guidelines. (8 hours, with 3 hours of range time.)
There were some last-minute restrictions out into the legislation, reportedly at the Governor's direction. Most notable is the list of places that CCW holders will not be allowed to carry weapons: daycare centers, K-12 schools (unless dropping a child off or picking one up), bars, restaurants that serve alcohol, hospitals, sports arenas, and university classrooms and dormatories. Additionally, entertainment facilities with a capacity of 1,500+ patrons will have the option of posting their premises off-limits.
For the record, MCRGO was not happy with these restrictions, and we protested, but it was "take it or leave it" in the end, and the gun groups participating decided unanimously to take it. (Those groups were MCRGO, the NRA, and MUCC.)
In the House, anti-gunner Gilda Jacobs did her best to delay the bill on proceedural grounds, and the usual gun-haters put on their acts and grandstanded for the cameras. They were, of course Liz Brater, Laura Baird, Julie Dennis, Buzz Thomas, Ed LaForge, William Byl, William Callahan, Deb Cherry, Jon Jellema, and Paul Tesonivich. All of them stood up and denounced the bills and the people who wanted to see them pass. Laura Baird took the cake when she addressed the spectators in the gallery and asked "Who is it that you people want to shoot so bad? We all know who it is that you want to shoot. This says something about how you all feel about diversity."
So I guess Baird was trying to infer that we're all rascist for wanting to defend ourselves against criminals. Of course it was Baird who made the leap from "criminals" to "minorities", so perhaps she's the one who could benefit from some sensitivity training.
Speaking in support of our bill were reps Sue Rocca, Jim Koetje, Mike Green, Scott Shackleton, and Eileen DeHart.
The final House vote was 62 in favor, 39 against, and 8 not voting.
Going over to the Senate side, the action started quickly but slowed to a crawl as Senators Peters and Hart continually stood to demand that the legislation not pass.
Also trying to stop the bill were Senators Gast, Byrum, Johnson and Schwartz. We were supported by Senators McCotter, Miller, Gougeon, Goschka, Koivisto,, Schuette, Hoffman, Jaye, Dingell, Emmons, and Cherry.
Final Senate passage was 23 yes, 13 no, and 2 not voting.
As an added plus, we got the Vear Transportation Bill passed--HB 4532. This bill removes the current requirement that you be enroute to/from a gun club or hunting location if you have firearms in your vehicle. Definite thanks are due to Rep. Steve Vear in the House and Senator Chris Dingell in the Senate for pushing this bill through.
It was a lot of work, and it couldn't have happened without the National Rifle Association, in particular, state liason Todd Adkins. Thanks also to our friends at Michigan United Conservation Clubs and the great pro-gun legislators in the Michigan House and Senate, especially outgoing Speaker of the House Chuck Perricone, who promised us CCW at our last MCRGO annual meeting. He kept his promise today. Finally, we want to make it clear that this was truly a bipartisan effort and it wouldn't have happened without pro-gun supporters in both the Republican and Democratic parties.
Well it took six years, but we finally passed CCW.
After then-Representative Alan Cropsey's first Concealed-weapons bill died in committee at the end of the 1994-1995 session, MCRGO formed out of his office to pass a CCW bill. Four years later, we finally we managed to play a major role in getting a "shall-issue" CCW bill passed. Ironically, Alan Cropsey had left the House due to term limits two years prior, but he still shepherded the bill through the legislature as a member of MCRGO's Board of Directors.
The legislative fight to pass a CCW bill, as most of you know, was taken up by Rep. Mike Green, and over the last two years, it's been Rep. Greens' hallmark project.
This afternoon we passed it out of the House, and this evening we passed it out of the Senate. HB 4530 will soon be signed into law and Michigan will become the 32nd "shall-issue" state in the United States.
This bill mandates that gun boards now follow a uniform standard when issuing concealed weapons permits. In essence, if an applicant is not a convicted felon and has no record of mental illness, the gun board must issue a general CCW to him or her if that applicant has passed a background check and a training course mirroring the current NRA personal protection guidelines. (8 hours, with 3 hours of range time.)
There were some last-minute restrictions out into the legislation, reportedly at the Governor's direction. Most notable is the list of places that CCW holders will not be allowed to carry weapons: daycare centers, K-12 schools (unless dropping a child off or picking one up), bars, restaurants that serve alcohol, hospitals, sports arenas, and university classrooms and dormatories. Additionally, entertainment facilities with a capacity of 1,500+ patrons will have the option of posting their premises off-limits.
For the record, MCRGO was not happy with these restrictions, and we protested, but it was "take it or leave it" in the end, and the gun groups participating decided unanimously to take it. (Those groups were MCRGO, the NRA, and MUCC.)
In the House, anti-gunner Gilda Jacobs did her best to delay the bill on proceedural grounds, and the usual gun-haters put on their acts and grandstanded for the cameras. They were, of course Liz Brater, Laura Baird, Julie Dennis, Buzz Thomas, Ed LaForge, William Byl, William Callahan, Deb Cherry, Jon Jellema, and Paul Tesonivich. All of them stood up and denounced the bills and the people who wanted to see them pass. Laura Baird took the cake when she addressed the spectators in the gallery and asked "Who is it that you people want to shoot so bad? We all know who it is that you want to shoot. This says something about how you all feel about diversity."
So I guess Baird was trying to infer that we're all rascist for wanting to defend ourselves against criminals. Of course it was Baird who made the leap from "criminals" to "minorities", so perhaps she's the one who could benefit from some sensitivity training.
Speaking in support of our bill were reps Sue Rocca, Jim Koetje, Mike Green, Scott Shackleton, and Eileen DeHart.
The final House vote was 62 in favor, 39 against, and 8 not voting.
Going over to the Senate side, the action started quickly but slowed to a crawl as Senators Peters and Hart continually stood to demand that the legislation not pass.
Also trying to stop the bill were Senators Gast, Byrum, Johnson and Schwartz. We were supported by Senators McCotter, Miller, Gougeon, Goschka, Koivisto,, Schuette, Hoffman, Jaye, Dingell, Emmons, and Cherry.
Final Senate passage was 23 yes, 13 no, and 2 not voting.
As an added plus, we got the Vear Transportation Bill passed--HB 4532. This bill removes the current requirement that you be enroute to/from a gun club or hunting location if you have firearms in your vehicle. Definite thanks are due to Rep. Steve Vear in the House and Senator Chris Dingell in the Senate for pushing this bill through.
It was a lot of work, and it couldn't have happened without the National Rifle Association, in particular, state liason Todd Adkins. Thanks also to our friends at Michigan United Conservation Clubs and the great pro-gun legislators in the Michigan House and Senate, especially outgoing Speaker of the House Chuck Perricone, who promised us CCW at our last MCRGO annual meeting. He kept his promise today. Finally, we want to make it clear that this was truly a bipartisan effort and it wouldn't have happened without pro-gun supporters in both the Republican and Democratic parties.