Posted on 08/31/2009 2:45:09 PM PDT by neverdem
LANSING—Bills to help ensure that all Michigan gun owners are guaranteed the right to lawfully store firearms in their locked and privately owned vehicles while in an employer’s parking lot were introduced Thursday in the Michigan Legislature, said sponsors Sen. Roger Kahn and Rep. Paul Opsommer.
Kahn, R-Saginaw Township, and Opsommer, R-DeWitt, were joined by Rep. Joel Sheltrown, D-West Branch, and Sen. Jim Barcia, D-Bay City, as primary bill sponsors.
The bipartisan, bicameral measures protect the rights of gun owners storing firearms in their vehicles, as long as all current storage laws are being followed. The proposed laws would not apply to company cars and would not alter Michigan’s concealed pistol law.
“Michigan residents have a right to have a firearm available for self-defense, if needed, during the daily commute to and from work,” Kahn said. “Concealed pistol license holders often face circumstances where they cannot be protected on their way to or from work because they have nowhere to store their gun once there.”
According to the National Rifle Association, 48 states, including Michigan, allow people to carry firearms in their vehicles for personal protection. More than one of every four of America’s 65-80 million gun owners carries a firearm in their vehicle for protection. Legislation similar to the Michigan plan was recently adopted in 10 other states.
Workplace Firearms Storage laws have been upheld by courts in other states. The courts have ruled that a business owner’s private property rights are not affected by laws preventing the micro-management of the lawful contents of a person’s privately-owned automobile.
Opsommer agrees, stating that, "We need to ensure that employers can not create over-reaching company policies that violate the Constitution and provide an excuse to terminate employees whose political views differ from those of management. People who lawfully own firearms and are following appropriate storage laws should not lose the ability to transport them in privately owned vehicles."
Senate Bills 792 and 793, and House Bills 5302 and 5303 will be considered in the early fall after work on the state budget has been completed.
MI is going to hunker down and before the riots start in Detroit.
This is real nice, but how about getting rid of the “forbidden zones” — like hospitals, day care centers and all the rest of the places listed on the back of our “permits”??? THAT is what the legislature should be doing.
Hell...just get rid of the permits.
I'm pretty sure that very few criminals care whether or not it's legal to transport a gun in a "privately owned vehicle." Heck, it may not even be their car that they are using for the transport...
My thoughts, as well, netmilsmom.
Even better.
This law should exist in every state. Companies have no right to dictate what you have in your private vehicle.
If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.
Thanks grellis. If the libtards think Prohibition of alcohol worked so great, it would explain why they want to try to disarm the serfs.
As a side note...
Joel Sheltrown, D-rat-West Branch , is one of the few Dems with a brain when it comes to gun/hunting issues.
He was the chairman of the committee that had oversight of a stupid bill to ban leg-hold traps in Michigan a few years ago.
I contacted him and he assured me that the stupid bill would never get even a hearing in committee, much less brought up for a vote.
He was good to his word and the bill died without a vote.
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