Michigan: Firearms Records Confidentiality Package Passes Both Chambers, Youth Firearm Education Bill Still Awaiting Senate Action

Today, the final three bills included in the Firearms Records Confidentiality Package, Senate Bills 49, 834 and 881, passed in the Michigan House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support.  These bills will now be returned to the state Senate for a recommendation of immediate effect.  If your state Representative voted for these bills, please call and thank him or her for supporting this important pro-gun reform package.

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.

Thanks to your e-mails and phone calls, the Michigan Senate did place House Bill 5085 on today’s calendar for Third Reading and a vote.  Unfortunately, the Senate adjourned until Tuesday, June 10, before voting on this timely and important legislation.  Please contact your state Senator and respectfully request that he or she vote for HB 5085 next week.  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 requirement.

To identify and contact your state Senator, please click here.