Today, three bills included in the Firearms Records Confidentiality Package, House Bills 4155, 5325 and 5328, passed in the Michigan Senate by a 29 to 8 vote. These bills will now return to the Michigan House of Representatives for an expected concurrence vote. If he or she voted for this legislation, please call and thank your state Senator for their support of this important package.
Tomorrow, the other three Firearms Records Confidentiality Package bills, Senate Bills 49, 834 and 881, are expected to receive a final vote in the Michigan House of Representatives. Please contact your state Representative and respectfully ask him or her to vote for SB 49, SB 834 and SB 881.
Collectively, the Firearms Records Confidentiality Package would require that information submitted to the government for purposes of firearms licensing, registration and concealed carry permitting be confidential and not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act. This package also ensures that the only acceptable disclosure of the information contained in an individual’s firearms records is limited to times when law enforcement believes that: (1) the firearm was used in the commission of a crime; (2) that the individual whose record is being accessed has committed a crime or is a threat to himself, herself or other individuals; or (3) when the safety of the peace officer is at issue. These bills ensure that law-abiding gun-owners will not face unwarranted discrimination or suspicion for exercising their constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
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After passing in the Michigan House of Representatives by a 107 to 2 vote and receiving unanimous support in the Senate Judiciary Committee, House Bill 5085 is still awaiting consideration on the Senate floor. It is critical that you contact your state Senator and respectfully ask him or her to vote on HB 5085 before the legislature adjourns for its summer recess. We are fast approaching summer and the Boy Scouts of America in Michigan have expressed interest in creating a pistol training program and associated merit badge during their summer programs. 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, the Boy Scouts are effectively precluded from supervising and instructing on the safe use of a pistol in a controlled environment. HB 5085 would fix this unduly burdensome and restrictive requirement.
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