Michigan Gun Laws
Yesterday, the Michigan House Adjourned Without Passing Multiple Critical Gun Violence Prevention Bills up for Floor Votes.
LANSING, Mich. — Today, the Michigan chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statements after the Michigan Senate passed critical violence prevention legislation on the last days of session. Legislation to facilitate Medicaid reimbursement for critical services provided by community violence intervention organizations (HB 6046), legislation to ensure crime guns and guns collected from buyback programs are destroyed. (HB 6144/ 6145/ 6146), and legislation to require secure firearm storage notifications in schools (HB 5450) will all now head to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s desk to be signed into law. Passage of these important bills comes after the Michigan House failed to pass critical gun violence prevention bills before adjourning the 2024 legislative session. With Michigan losing its gun sense trifecta in January, this lame-duck session was a crucial opportunity for lawmakers to take action on gun safety.
“The legislation passed today is a powerful reminder of the progress we can achieve with a strong gun sense majority,” said Angela Ferrell-Zabala, executive director of Moms Demand Action. “We are deeply grateful to the tireless and persistent leadership of Leader Brinks and her dedicated Senators, who remained in session for over 24 hours straight to ensure that critical legislation crossed the finish line. Michigan Senate lawmakers delivered on their responsibility to protect communities and answered the overwhelming call for action on gun violence. Their persistence and commitment to meaningful progress is truly inspiring. We’ll keep fighting to ensure every state follows Michigan’s lead in passing critical gun safety laws—and to hold those who turn their backs on public safety accountable.”
Yesterday, the Michigan House abruptly adjourned without bringing four critical gun violence prevention bills that were on the House floor up for a vote:
Legislation to ban ghost guns (SB 1149/1150);
Legislation to ban bump stocks (SB 942);
Legislation banning guns in the capitol (SB 857/858), and
Donna’s law, which would create a voluntary do-not-sell list (SB 1086).
After electing a gun-sense trifecta in 2022, legislators in Michigan took action to enact a comprehensive gun safety package that included multiple foundational gun safety policies, including an extreme risk law, secure storage requirements, a comprehensive background check system, and a bipartisan law to keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers. Just last month, Michigan lawmakers took action to address the growing threat of armed intimidation at the voting booth, passing a bill prohibiting the possession of firearms near polling locations and other electoral facilities. But, the other critical bills listed above were not included in this package. Ending this legislative session without bringing them up for a vote is a disappointing failure of leadership on the part of Michigan House lawmakers.
In Michigan, over 1,400 people are killed by firearms every year and nearly 3,000 more are wounded by guns. Guns are the leading cause of death among children and teens in Michigan with an average of 115 children and teens dying by guns every year.
Michigan: Anti-Gun Legislation Passed in the Middle of the Night Heads To Governor’s Desk
With the sun setting on the 2023-2024 legislative session, yesterday the Michigan Senate held a marathon session lasting over 24 hours. While citizens were sleeping, anti-gun lawmakers were able to pass two pieces of legislation, which are now headed to the Governor for her signature. Please use the take-action button below to contact the Governor and urge her to veto this anti-gun legislation!
Passed out of both chambers and are eligible for the Governor's signature:
House Bills 5450 & 5451: Mandate public schools annually post and distribute information regarding the state’s mandatory storage laws to the parents and guardians of every enrolled student.
House Bills 6144, 6145, and 6146: Require law enforcement agencies to destroy any firearm that has been confiscated or returned during a "gun buy-back".
Anti-Gun Legislation Pending in the House:
The Michigan House was unable to obtain a quorum this week and adjourned until Dec. 31st, presumably coming back to pass a sine die resolution. This means the pending anti-gun bills are less likely to pass, however the House can return prior to that date, so it is important to keep the pressure on.
Senate Bills 1149 & 1150: Propose severe restrictions on "home built" firearms and the raw materials used to make them.
Senate Bill 942: Seeks to ban bump stocks, making them illegal to own, sell, or possess in Michigan—imposing stricter regulations than those governing machine guns. This comes despite the U.S. Supreme Court overturning the federal ban on bump stocks earlier this year.
Senate Bill 1086: Creates both a temporary and indefinite “Do Not Sell” list that suspend an individual’s Second Amendment firearms purchase rights. Although joining such lists would be voluntary, removal from these databases has proven to be exceedingly difficult in the few states which have adopted such laws.
Senate Bills 857 & 858: Expand "gun-free zones" in Michigan by prohibiting gun owners from carrying a firearm in the Michigan State Capitol Building, the Binsfeld Senate Office Building, and the Anderson House Office Building, with an exception for legislators. The Capitol Commission in recent years banned both open and concealed firearms carry in the Capitol and Democrat leadership restricted citizens' rights to carry in legislative office buildings by rule. This legislation would expand and codify those restrictions into state law, making it near impossible for citizens to regain the right to carry in these areas.
House Bills 6183, 6184, and 6185: Directly undermine the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act by abolishing immunity for firearm manufacturers and opening them up to frivolous lawsuits and vastly increased liability exposure. These bills also mandate the purchase or offer for sale of a trigger lock or secure storage container when transferring a firearm.
House Bills 6222 and 6223: Require anyone selling a firearm to report any attempt by a prohibited person to acquire said firearm to law enforcement within 24 hours. Failure to do so would be a FELONY.
Take action by contacting your representative using the button below and urge them to oppose these anti-gun measures:
Recently signed by the Governor:
Earlier this month, Governor Whitmer also signed two bills HB 4127 and HB 4128, now Public Acts 157 and 158 of 2024 into law. These laws expand "gun-free" zones by prohibiting an individual from possessing a firearm within 100 feet of a polling place, which includes ballot drop boxes, early voting sites, a city or township clerk's office, or within 100 feet of any entrance to these sites. It would also prohibit possessing a firearm within 100 feet of any location where ballots are being counted or processed. The ban would take effect while voting or counting of ballots was in progress or 40 days before an election in the case of absentee voting boxes. Law-abiding gun owners should not face criminal penalties for simply crossing arbitrary lines with no intent to disrupt or interfere with the voting process. Furthermore, many of these locations, like ballot drop boxes, are not well known and can be placed in areas like a grocery store entrance. Passing within 100 feet of some of these areas unknowingly and unintentionally could be easy to do and prohibit you from accessing areas where it would otherwise be legal to carry.