The Michigan House Committee on Military, Veterans and Homeland Security held a hearing on House Bills 5364, 5365, 5366 and 5367, dangerous bills to eliminate Michigan’s concealed handgun license requirement, allowing people to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public without a license or safety training.
“There is no question that eliminating common sense training and permitting requirements before allowing people to carry loaded, hidden firearms in public is dangerous, and puts Michiganders’ lives at risk,” said Chris Campbell, a volunteer with the Michigan chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We deserve to feel safe in our communities. Our lawmakers should be prioritizing bills that will protect our state from the gun violence crisis, rather than bills that would only make it worse.”
Concealed carry permitting systems ensure that only responsible gun owners can carry concealed handguns in public. Permitless carry bills put communities at risk by removing these safeguards and allowing individuals with dangerous histories and those who have not undergone any firearm safety training to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public.
Repealing permitting requirements has been proven to increase gun violence in other states that have tried similar policies. Research shows that states that have weakened their firearm permitting system have experienced an 11 percent increase in handgun homicide rates and a 13-15 percent increase in violent crime rates.
Rather than prioritizing legislation that would strip away critical protections and allow firearms to end up in the wrong hands, Michigan lawmakers should instead be focusing on common sense gun safety legislation that would protect Michiganders from gun violence.
In an average year, 1,212 people die and 3,507 people are wounded by guns in Michigan. Black people in Michigan are 22 times more likely than white people to die by gun homicide. Gun violence costs Michigan $9.1 billion each year, of which $422.6 million is paid by taxpayers. More information about permitless carry is available here.
