MARQUETTE, Mich. (WZMQ) – After three new gun safety laws were signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, we wanted to know what the effects would be in The Upper Peninsula.
There are three parts to the package that cover safe storage of firearms, changes to the background check process, and extreme risk protection orders. Marquette County Prosecutor Matt Wiese says he believes it’s common sense gun safety. The new law allows individuals to petition a judge for the removal of firearms from people believed to be a danger to themselves or others.
“If a person is determined to be an extreme risk because of a mental health issue or a threat to a family member through domestic violence or stalking,” Wiese explained, “the court can order a protection order to be put in place that can include the surrender of firearms.”
Wiese says the law is intended to protect those in unsafe situations, stating that it’s just another way to make sure that we’re being extra safe before we provide firearms to people that probably shouldn’t have them.
“We have all kinds of rights in our society guaranteed by the constitution,” Wiese says, “and those rights can always be balanced against public safety measures and regulated to protect the society as a whole.”
Michigan is the second state to sign red flag gun legislation in the past two weeks. Weise says the matter of enforcement is still being worked out, the new law is expected to go into effect next spring.
