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House Bills 4127 and 4128 are scheduled to be taken up by the Senates Elections and Ethics Committee tomorrow, Wednesday, February 7 at 3:00 PM. These bills have already passed the Michigan House on a party line vote of 56-53 last November. We anticipate they will be considered by the full Senate soon. MCRGO opposes the bills.

House Bill 4127 prohibits the possession of firearms at or within 100 feet of a polling place during election day. The bill also prohibits firearms possession at early voting sites beginning on the second Saturday before an election and ending on the Sunday before the election, and within 100 feet of an absent voter ballot drop box for 40 days before an election. The full analysis can be found HERE.

Consider the impact of this bill on legal carry outside the home. Many ballot drop boxes are located curbside within 100 feet of roads, streets, and sidewalks. There are several dozens of these drop boxes in each county. Kent County, for example, has 42 ballot drop boxes. Other than perhaps the one closest to your home, you likely are not aware of others you walk past while carrying for self-defense.

House Bill 4127 would make it a misdemeanor with up to 90 days imprisonment to otherwise legally carry an exposed firearm within 100 feet of a ballot drop box within 40 days of an election. Michigan has three regular election dates per year plus presidential primaries and special elections. That's at least one third of the year, every year, that these roads, streets, sidewalks, libraries, local government buildings, and adjacent businesses would be off limits to legal defensive carry outside the home unless the firearm is concealed or in a vehicle.

Michigan law already prohibits brandishing a firearm in public. Brandish is defined in MCL 750.222 as "to point, wave about, or display in a threatening manner with the intent to induce fear in another person."

If the intent of these bills is truly to prevent harassment and intimidation at polling places and ballot counting locations the bills would focus on brandishing at these locations. Instead, they target legal self-defense in general through a ban on simple possession of firearms including lawful open carry with or without a CPL.

Representatives of the following entities testified in opposition to the bills (2-28-23):

• Great Lakes Gun Rights
• Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners
• Michigan Open Carry Inc.
• Pure Integrity for Michigan Elections

MCRGO Polling Place Gun Ban Update - 3/4/2024

House Bills 4127 and its companion HB 4128 passed the full Senate last week on a 20-18 party line vote and were returned to the Michigan House of Representative for concurrence. These bills already passed the Michigan House on a party line vote of 56-53 last November. They did not receive immediate effect in the Senate.

The legislation prohibits the possession of firearms within 100 feet of a polling place during election day. The legislation also prohibits firearms possession within 100 feet of early voting sites, within 100 feet of clerks' offices within 40 days before an election, and within 100 feet of an absentee voter ballot drop box for 40 days before an election. The updated analysis as passed the Senate can be found HERE.

Several changes were made to the legislation since it was originally introduced that makes it less burdensome. Concealed pistol license holders carrying concealed are exempted. Peace officers, whether on duty or off, are exempted. Private property owners and their guests within the 100' perimeter are exempted. Lawful transportation and possession of a firearm in a vehicle is exempted.

MCRGO remains opposed to the bills. While the bills are now intended to focus only on open carry, they would also subject CPL holders with a fully or partially exposed firearm to a 90 day misdemeanor, even if the exposure, otherwise legal in Michigan, is unintentional as is common in the warmer months. The legislation intends to treat the constitutionally protected act of open carry as brandishing, contradicting Michigan's MCL 750.222 which defines brandishing as "to point, wave about, or display in a threatening manner with the intent to induce fear in another person."

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Item # MCRGO ACTION ALERT

Legislative Action Alert 5/13/2024

"over 20,000 locations in Michigan off-limits for licensed concealed carry...."

The more radical anti-gun members of the Michigan Legislature are up to their shenanigans again with the recently introduced Senate Bills 857 and 858.

On the surface, these bills appear to extend bans on legal carry to the Michigan State Capitol, the Binsfield Senate Office Building, and the Anderson House Office Building [Note: The bills would exempt members of the Michigan Senate and Michigan House of Representatives from these bans.

Recognizing that the Michigan House of Representatives may likely switch back to a Republican majority after the November election, placing these bans now in statutory law would prevent Republicans from reversing them next year as Democrats are expected to continue to hold control of the Michigan Senate and the governor's office through the end of 2026. However, the language in the bills goes much further.

Anyone who has taken a concealed pistol license class in Michigan should remember that Michigan has two laws that impose pistol free zones. MCL 28.425o includes a list of locations where concealed pistol license holders may not carry a concealed weapon. The other law, MCRGO 750.234d, contain an older list of gun free zones. This second law exempts concealed pistol license holders.

While there is some overlap between the two laws, MCL 750.234d is the more restrictive of two. For example, it makes financial institutions gun free zones. It lacks the permission exception for places of religious worship in MCL 28.425o. The biggest difference is that it does not allow firearms possession on the premises of any location with a liquor license whereas MCL 28.425o only bans concealed carry in bars & taverns.

Senate Bill 858 would strip out the exception for a "person licensed by this state or another state to carry a concealed weapon" from MCL 750.234d. The result would make over 20,000 locations in Michigan off-limits for licensed concealed carry. This would include not only party stores, but any grocery store, gas station, pharmacy, hotel, club, special event, watercraft, retailer, etc. with any type of liquor license, active or not. And that is only locations with liquor licenses. It doesn't account for other locations such as banks and credit unions. The impact is so broad that Senate Bill 858 would effectively outlaw defensive carry in Michigan.

So why did the nine sponsors and co-sponsors, including the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, introduce this legislation? One may suspect the removal of the exemption for concealed pistol license holders was intended to only apply to the Capitol and legislative office buildings and was mistakenly extended to all locations in 750.234d. However, that's improbable. Bills in Michigan aren't written directly by legislators but instead by the nonpartisan and professional Legislative Service Bureau that would have informed the sponsors about the unintended consequences.

It's certainly possible that some of these legislators may not support self-defense rights including the legal defensive carry of firearms even though that would clearly violate Article 1, Section 6 of the Michigan Constitution they took an oath to support. It is more plausible they knowingly introduced draconian bills in order to win votes through amendments from other legislators reluctant to support the bills as introduced. We saw this tactic used with last year's polling place gun ban legislation.

Regardless, we please ask that you make your opposition known to your state senator. You can locate your state senator HERE; https://senate.michigan.gov/FindYourSenator/

With the federal courts offering lukewarm protection to the Second Amendment, anti-gun politicians are attempting an end run around legal gun control obstacles through taxes.

Michigan State Representative Cynthia Johnson (D-Detroit) has proposed a 10% excise tax on ammunition, already selling at inflated rates due to scarcity. We can anticipate more firearms related excise tax proposals in the 2021-2022 Michigan Legislative Session.

Firearms dealer licensing and manufacturing fees are increasingly being proposed in many states. And Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has called for a $200 federal registration fee for popular semi-automatic rifles like the AR-15 as well as a $200 federal tax stamp for every magazine that could hold more than 10 rounds.

In a September 9, 2020 article, Ammoland reports: "In 1819, Chief Justice John Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court famously wrote: 'the power to tax involves the power to destroy ….' This truism has not been lost on firearm prohibitionists, who when unable to ban guns outright have often tried to tax them out of reach of the average citizen."

The result of such taxes would make legal self-defense, particularly concealed carry, even more unaffordable to many middle class and economically disadvantaged people.
History has taught us this will lead to a proliferation in blackmarket sales and corresponding increase in crime.

Elections Have Consequences

People often say, with pride, 'I'm not interested in politics.' They might as well say, 'I'm not interested in my standard of living, my health, my job, my rights, my freedoms, my future or any future.' ... If we mean to keep any control over our world and lives, we must be interested in politics.
~ Martha Gellhorn 20th Century War Correspondent

Our Founding Father Benjamin Franklin penned these words;
“Rebellion Against Tyrants is Obedience to God”

The phrase “Rebellion Against Tyrants is Obedience to God” is a potent proclamation that embodies the principles of liberty and freedom, especially within a Christian context. It implies that the quest for freedom, even if it necessitates rebellion against oppressive regimes, is not merely a human endeavor, but a divine directive. This compelling assertion emphasizes the notion that tyranny is in direct contradiction with God’s will, and thus, resistance against such oppression is an act of obedience to God. It serves as a moral beacon, guiding individuals and societies towards the path of justice and liberty. In a Christian nation, this sentiment deeply resonates as it aligns with Christian teachings that champion freedom, dignity, and respect for all individuals. Therefore, this phrase is not just a rallying cry against tyranny, but also a profound theological affirmation that underscores the sanctity of freedom and the divine obligation to preserve it.