LANSING, Mich. (WZMQ) – Democrats in Michigan’s senate are working quickly to pass gun reform laws. Yesterday, Michigan’s senate passed a bill package that includes 11 bills which would add more background check requirements, create laws that would allow law enforcement to seize firearms from individuals deemed high risk, and would mandate gun security in households with children.
Senator Ed McBroom from Michigan’s 38th senate district expressed concerns that democrats are moving too quickly to pass these new laws.
“Conceptually everybody supports the idea that guns should be stored safely,” Senator McBroom said, “That background checks should take place to make sure criminals and others who shouldn’t have firearms are kept from having them, and that people who are having a mental health issue shouldn’t be able to possess firearms during that crisis. But just because everyone supports these conceptually doesn’t mean that details and the specifics of the law are appropriate or are effective
Senator McBroom says senate republicans have heard concerns echoed from law enforcement as well. State Representative Greg Markkanen says he’s worried that with the lack of enforcement for current gun control legislation, new laws will add to backlogs in UP courts.
“we’re struggling to understand why we want to create more laws when we’re not enforcing the laws on the books already.” Says Representative Markkanen “All it’s going to do is clog up the system more, especially in the upper peninsula here where we have a lot of backlog in the court system. We need to enforce the laws that we already have.”
It’s expected this legislation will continue to be addressed within the next few weeks. The package still has to pass through the house and special committees before it can be signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
