Thursday, March 28, 2024

Gun law deserves more consideration

It’s disappointing so many people are cheering at the news that the concealed weapons reform law our legislature passed might now be sidetracked until November 2002. I would have to assume most of these people do not realize what that means. It means that until November 2002, gun boards can continue the present practice of issuing CCW permits to 18-year-olds, people with misdemeanor convictions and drunken drivers.

It also means these people and anyone else with a permit can carry their pistols into schools, daycare centers, bars, theaters, hospitals and other public venues. Finally, it means permits will still be given out with no requirement that the applicant pass a training course or submit his or her mental heath records for review.

This is how the system works today, and this is how it will continue to work until the new law goes into effect.

The new law addresses each and every one of these issues. It bars many applicants who can and do get permits today, it bans carry by anyone into many public areas and it requires a training course and a mental health records check. In short, the new law doesn’t loosen restrictions on CCW permits, as many have been led to believe. It really adds many more.

Because we care about fairness and public safety, we at Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners are carrying on the fight to see that this new law goes into effect. Every day the new law is stalled, more teen-age petty criminals will be able to get these permits and lawfully carry guns into schools and theaters. That’s how it works today, and we need to put an end to it by enacting the new law, PA 381. The law can be read in its entirety on our public Web site at www.mcrgo.org.

Ross Dykman
executive director, Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners

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