Passed by Michigan House Today, Bill Would Remove Important Provisions Allowing Law Enforcement to Deny Concealed Pistol Licenses to Dangerous People
Bill Now Goes to Governor Snyder’s Desk
The Michigan chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today urged Governor Snyder to veto S.B. 34, a bill the Michigan House passed today that would strip Michigan law enforcement of the authority to deny concealed pistol licenses to dangerous people. The bill passed the Michigan Senate earlier this month, and it will now go to Governor Snyder’s desk.
“We believe in modernizing the system in place for obtaining a pistol license, but not at the cost of our state’s public safety,” said Kristen Moore, a volunteer with the Michigan Chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. “We urge Governor Snyder to veto S.B. 34 to preserve a tool for law enforcement to keep guns out of dangerous hands.”
Like the majority of states, Michigan currently authorizes law enforcement to deny a concealed pistol license to an applicant who poses a danger to himself or someone else—such as a person with a recent history of multiple arrests for violent crimes, like George Zimmerman. S.B. 34 would place Michigan among the minority of states that force law enforcement to allow people who they know have recent violent histories to carry hidden, loaded guns in public. Under this bill, law enforcement would be powerless to prevent people with repeated run-ins with police, who pose a clear threat—such as the Washington Navy Yard shooter before he shot and killed 12 people in 2013—from getting concealed pistol licenses and carrying hidden, loaded guns throughout the state.
About Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America is a grassroots movement of American mothers fighting for public safety measures that respect the Second Amendment and protect people from gun violence. Moms Demand Action campaigns for new and stronger solutions to lax gun laws and loopholes that jeopardize the safety of our children and families. Since its inception after the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Moms Demand Action has established a chapter in every state of the country and along with Mayors Against Illegal Guns is part of Everytown for Gun Safety, the largest gun violence prevention organization in the country with more than 2.5 million members and more than 40,000 donors. For more information or to get involved visit www.momsdemandaction.org. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MomsDemandAction or on Twitter at @MomsDemand