Senate Bills 584 & 585, which would allow any CPL holder to obtain a general exemption to concealed pistol free zones, and Senate Bill 586, which would clarify that public schools, intermediate school districts, community colleges, public libraries, and other public authorities are local units of government, are expected to be taken up by the Michigan House of Representatives sooner rather than later -as early as next week!
While MCRGO, the NRA, and other firearms law reform activists nearly uniformly support these bills, there are several changes we would like to see in the House to Senate Bill 584. The last minute Senate addition of airport property to the list of pistol free zones should be removed. It appears to have been added to prevent future situations where Open Carry activists have carried on airport property, but it misses the mark by applying only to concealed pistols. We would also like to see the Senate’s ban on intentional display and open carry removed from the bill as the language could be used to prosecute CPL holders who are printing or inadvertently showing a firearm.
Please contact your state representative now to let them know you support Senate Bills 584-586 with the changes noted above. You can find him/her HERE. Some key points:
* 98% of mass shootings occur in pistol free zones because they are target rich locations.
* Pistol free zones don’t prevent people with criminal intent from carrying a gun there.
* The are numerous examples of situations where CPL holders have stopped shootings or prevented them altogether. It happens far more often than many people realize because they aren’t reported like unchallenged mass shootings with high body counts.
* No Michigan CPL holder has ever been mistakenly shot by another Michigan CPL holder or law enforcement in the 17 years Michigan has had shall-issue concealed carry. Michigan has over 600,000 CPL holders who carry daily in busy public settings.
* Michigan CPL holders with a general exemption would be the best trained in the USA!
* The legislation does not negatively impact private property rights.
