Democrats introduce gun control bills

The package includes provisions that would ban guns from schools, churches, day care centers, libraries, hospitals, sports arenas, bars, theaters, courthouses and universities. A state law that prevents local governments from passing gun safety ordinances also would be repealed.

The package would require trigger locks and insurance for every handgun sold in Michigan and require background checks for sales at gun shows. Individuals could buy only one handgun per month, and dealers would have to work out of a fixed place of business, not homes or cars.

The legislation would attempt to keep guns away from children by increasing the penalty for transferring a gun to a minor for purposes other than hunting or target practice. It would hold gun owners responsible for crimes committed by minors using their firearm.

"This is a reasonable, responsible first step in curbing rampant gun violence," said Buzz Thomas III (D-Detroit), a sponsor of the package. "We are not, in any way, going beyond anything that a reasonable person would not feel is the appropriate way to tackle gun violence."

House Republican leaders disagree and say the package is a move toward extreme gun control. House Speaker Chuck Perricone said he would not allow the sponsors to debate the bills on the House floor and put lawmakers in a difficult position.

"I guess the bottom line probably I have with all of this is that it is targeted toward responsible law-abiding citizens," said Perricone, a Republican from Kalamazoo Township. "This is just another chapter in a long political game, and I'm not going to play it."

Many of the ideas in the package came up last spring when the Legislature debated measures that would have made it easier to obtain a concealed weapons permit.

Although the concealed weapons permit legislation passed both chambers, Perricone announced in June that it was off the table.

Gilda Jacobs (D-Huntington Woods) said public opinion has changed in Michigan and nationally after shootings at schools, community centers and churches. She hopes some Republicans will support the Democratic package.

"This is an issue that the people of Michigan feel very passionately about," she said. "This is not going away even though Speaker Perricone does not want to take up this legislation."

Laura Baird (D-Okemos) said Democrats are aware that guns are a hot issue with voters and acknowledged that she expected lawmakers' positions on gun issues to figure in their campaigns.

"We think we (Democrats) are absolutely right on this issue," she said. "What we're doing is we're inviting the other side of the aisle to come and be right with us. If they want this not to be something that blows up in their face politically, they have an opportunity to do something about it."

Mike Green (R-Mayville), who sponsored one of the concealed weapons bills, said even some Democrats would not support the package.

"Every time a crime is committed, the knee-jerk reaction of these liberals is to strip away more freedoms from law-abiding citizens under the guise of protecting them," he said.

"Those proposed changes will do nothing except inconvenience honest state residents, erode their God-given rights and make them more vulnerable to the criminal element."

09-24-99