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The Michigan House failed to pass any firearms legislation in a rare Friday session last week. Early in the evening, Republicans walked off the House floor in disgust at the unprecedented partisan abuse of the lame duck session. Unity within the House Democratic Caucus broke down shortly thereafter with moderates including Rep. Nate Shannon (D-Sterling Heights), Rep. Peter Herzberg (D-Westland), Rep. Tullio Liberati Jr. (D-Allen Park), and Rep. Karen Whitsett (D-Detroit) indicating they had had enough.
This is important because Article IV, Sec. 26 of the Michigan Constitution requires:
"No bill shall be passed or become a law at any regular session of the legislature until it has been printed or reproduced and in the possession of each house for at least five days."
The five day layover applies to the initial consideration of bills in each chamber. Because this week is the final scheduled week of working session, any bill not passed for the first time in the chamber it was introduced in last week is dead. While the Senate has session scheduled for next Monday, December 23, it is unlikely it will have enough members in Lansing that day to pass party line bills due to family Christmas events. The final day of session (Sine Die) between Christmas and New Year's Eve is a formality with no bills considered. This means that the following legislation will not progress:
Firearms Industry Responsibility Act: House Bills 6183, 6184, & 6185
Weakening of Local Government Preemption: House Bill 4198
Domestic Violence, Part II: House Bills 6134 & 6135
Felony Penalties for Attempted Illegal Purchase: House Bills 6222 & 6223
Colored Gun Ban: Senate Bill 1134
Imitation Gun Ban: Senate Bill 1135
MCRGO thanks everyone who contacted their legislators last week to stop these bills, particularly the very dangerous Firearms Industry Responsibility Act and the attack on local government preemption. The failure of these bills to pass was a major defeat for the gun control lobby and Attorney General Dana Nessel.
However, we're not safe yet. The gun control legislation listed below remains active and may be discharged from committee without public testimony and voted on this week. Please make one last contact to your State Senator and State Representative in opposition to these bills:
Capitol & Legislative Office Buildings Carry Ban: Senate Bills 857 & 858
Home Built Firearms (Ghost Gun) Ban: Senate Bills 1149 & 1150
Bump Stock Ban: Senate Bill 942
No Sell List: Senate Bill 1086
You can find status updates, links to bills, and MCRGO's positions on all Michigan firearms legislation HERE. A final summary of all the firearms legislation passed in the lame duck session will be provided in the Monday, December 30, 2024 MCRGO E'News.
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