Today, an important youth firearm education bill passed unanimously in the Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee.  House Bill 5085 now goes to the Senate floor for consideration.  Introduced by state Representative Phil Potvin (R-102), HB 5085 corrects an unduly burdensome restraint on youth firearm education by reasonably expanding the class of individuals who are allowed to supervise and instruct Michigan youth on the safe use of pistols.

Under current Michigan law, an individual who is under the age of 18 is prohibited from possessing a pistol “for the purposes of target practice or instruction in the safe use,” unless the “person’s parent or guardian is physically present and supervising the person.”  As a result, responsible family members, close friends, range instructors and youth organizations (e.g. Boy Scouts of America) are all effectively precluded from supervising and instructing on the safe use of a pistol in a controlled environment.

If enacted, HB 5085 would allow some of the aforementioned classes of individuals to provide pistol training and safety instruction to Michigan’s youth, while also ensuring that supervision is undertaken by a responsible adult.  HB 5085 achieves this goal by amending the current law to provide that an individual who is 21 years or older, has successfully completed a state certified pistol training course and has received parental authorization, may supervise and provide pistol instruction to a minor at a target range.

Please contact your state Senator today and encourage him or her to SUPPORT HB 5085, and to consider and vote on this bill as soon as possible.  Contact information for your state Senator can be found here.