Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer Calls for New Civilian Disarmament Legislation
Jose Nino
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On January 25, 2023, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer gave a State of the State address where she announced three gun control proposals that would allegedly address the state’s problem with gun violence.
“The time for only thoughts and prayers is over,” the governor declared. The first proposal is the establishment of universal background checks, while the second consists of enacting safe storage laws to ensure that children don’t gain access to guns. For the third proposal, Whitmer called for red flag gun confiscation orders that would allow law enforcement to confiscate the firearms of people who are deemed to be a threat to themselves or others — all without due process.
“These are common sense bills and laws that have not gotten any hearings,” declared State Representative Julie Rogers. “We are here to make people safe, not take guns away.”
“These are common sense laws that have been effective in red states and blue states,” added State Representative Rachel Hood. “This is just straightforward stuff.”
Republican State Representative Bryan Posthumus was adamantly opposed to Whitmer’s proposals and stressed the importance of the right to bear arms. “It’s a fundamental right,” declared Posthumus. “I have a right to protect myself, every member of my constituency has a right to defend themselves. We have a right to hunt as well.”
“There’s no faster way to stop a bad guy with a gun than a good guy with a gun,” Posthumus continued.
For gun policy, Michigan is relatively decent for gun owners. According to Guns & Ammo magazine’s 2022 rankings for best states for gun owners, Michigan was ranked in 25th place. However, with the likes of Whitmer at the helm and Democrats in control of both chambers of the state legislature — House (56-54) and Senate (20-18), the state could potentially go down a notably anti-gun path. In addition, there are likely squishy Republicans who will join these Democrats in passing these gun grabs.
Like anywhere else, Michigan gun owners must remain vigilant and hold their state officials’ feet to the fire. If they get caught sleeping, the state will rapidly turn into an anti-gun bastion like many other blue states in the country.
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