Bills to address bump stocks and ghost guns would keep up pressure on gun industry, make communities safer; bills to codify ban on guns at Capitol Complex would safeguard democracy.
Photo: Advocates with End Gun Violence Michigan attend hearing. Pictured with Senator Bayer.
Video: https://cloud.castus.tv/vod/misenate/video/6841d376a48aa3000835f624?page=HOME
Lansing – The Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing and votes on June 5 on new legislation that will protect local communities and our democracy from gun violence.
SB 331, introduced by Senator Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak), would ban “ghost guns.” Ghost guns are sold in kits without serial numbers. With a few screws, purchasers can assemble a fully functioning firearm that cannot be traced by law enforcement. Without a serial number, these guns are able to evade the state’s background check laws, and can be purchased over the internet by minors or individuals with dangerous criminal records.
“What makes ‘ghost guns’ so dangerous is not the gun, but the ‘ghost,’” Sen. McMorrow said, “What’s more, the US Supreme Court has now ruled twice that closing this loophole to regulate all firearms the same way and requiring them all to be serialized to be constitutional. It’s time for Michigan to step up to ban these ghost guns to keep our residents safe.”
The committee also heard testimony on SB 224, introduced by Senator Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia). SB 224 would ban bump stocks and other conversion devices that allow assault rifles to fire as fast as machine guns.
Machine guns, which fire multiple bullets per trigger pull, are generally illegal in the US. Semi-automatic assault rifles, such as the AR-15, can be modified with bump stocks and forced reset triggers to artificially increase the rate at which the trigger is pulled. The modified weapons are then able to fire nearly as fast as a machine gun. This issue is particularly important given the Trump Administration’s recent decision to legalize forced reset triggers. These trigger conversion devices also turn semi-automatic assault rifles into functional machine guns.
“Assault rifles with bump stocks have been used in some of the worse mass shootings in US history,” said Sen. Polehanki. “There’s no legitimate reason for anyone to fire a thousand bullets a minute. That’s more firepower than even law enforcement typically carries. We need to protect our communities and families from these dangerous weapons.”
Sen. Polehanki referenced the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, to date the nation’s worst. A shooter was able to use bump-stock modified assault rifles to fire more than a thousand rounds into a crowded concert, killing 60 and injuring more than 400.
“The time to act is now,” said Oxford survivor Dylan Morris, Co-President of the youth advocacy organization No Future Without Today, “We can’t allow the gun industry to continue to send these lethal weapons into our communities. It’s unconscionable that this industry is making money off of the deaths of our families and children. We applaud Senators McMorrow and Polehanki for holding them to account and protecting Michiganders.”
The committee also heard SB 225 & 226, sponsored by Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-Keego Harbor) and Sen. Polehanki which bans all firearms, including concealed weapons, in the Capitol and House and Senate Office Buildings in Lansing. The bills codify rules that were recently adopted by the Capitol Commission into law. A law is necessary to prevent a future Commission from changing the rules and allowing guns in the Capitol in the future.
Sen. Polehanki and Bayer emotionally recounted the invasion of the Capitol by armed rioters in 2021. Sen. Polehanki shared that she still has a bulletproof vest in her desk on the floor of the Senate.
All the votes passed the Judiciary Committee on party line votes.
