AMGOA Staff
Pennsylvania


Posts: 1,427

Any legal firearm owner could carry a concealed gun without a permit or mandatory training under a controversial plan the Michigan House approved Wednesday.

The House passed the four bill package in a series of votes mostly along party lines that prompted spirited debate. Supporters said it would extend constitutional rights to gun owners, while opponents argued it would endanger public safety without current rules required under the state's 17 year old concealed carry law.

Proponents argue that the legislation protects and upholds Second Amendment rights and scraps what they say amounts to a coat tax: a $100 permit application fee, a fingerprint fee and another $115 every four years to renew the license. Required gun training classes can also cost hundreds of dollars, a barrier to exercising a freedom enshrined in the state and federal constitutions, gun advocates said.

During the floor debate, Rep. Lee Chatfield, R-Levering, pointed to a copy of the constitution and said it was each law-abiding resident's permit to carry a concealed weapon in Michigan.

"Criminals do not obey the law. Criminals don't obey the gun laws we have now. And criminals won’t obey the new gun laws we pass. That is why they're called criminals" Chatfield said.

http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2017/06/07/concealed-guns-without-permits/102600024/