Michigan Lawmakers Haven’t Held Hearings on Bipartisan Bills to Keep Guns out of the Hands of Domestic Abusers

October —  National Domestic Violence Awareness Month — is now over, and still the Michigan legislature has not even held hearings on bipartisan legislation that would help keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Committee chair Representative Graham Filler could schedule a hearing at any point but has not chosen to do so.

Mom Demand Action volunteers are available for interviews about the need to hold hearings on these bills. Among them are Rick and Martha Omilian, whose daughter Maggie was fatally shot at Kalamazoo College by her ex-boyfriend.See news coverage: Bipartisan bills aimed at closing Michigan’s boyfriend loophole.

House bills 4497 and 4498 would prohibit people subject to active personal protection orders and people convicted of certain domestic violence crimes, including dating partners, from possessing or purchasing firearms. This legislation would enable local and state police to effectively protect women and children in Michigan. Research shows that states with laws prohibiting people subject to domestic violence protection orders from possessing firearms have seen a 13 percent reduction in intimate partner firearm homicides and a 10 percent reduction in intimate partner homicides. 

Please click here for information on how Michigan’s gun laws compare to other states’, including when it comes to domestic abusers. If you have questions, or to request an interview, please don’t hesitate to reach out.