Michigan’s House of Representatives is considering a bill that would abolish a concealed carry permit requirement in the state, thus making the Second Amendment the only permit law-abiding residents of the state would need.
It is already legal to carry a handgun openly without a permit in Michigan. The situation is as it was in New Hampshire, where law-abiding citizens could carry their handguns openly without having to ask government’s permission but were suddenly obligated to ask government before carrying if their jacket or sweatshirt hung down over the gun.
New Hampshire lawmakers passed legislation abolishing their concealed carry permit requirement earlier this year and Gov. Chris Sununu (R) signed the bill on February 22. North Dakota followed suit and abolished their concealed permit requirement on March 24, 2017. Now Michigan lawmakers are pushing to make the same change.
The Detroit Free Press reports that Rep. Michele Hoitenga (R-Manton)–a sponsor of the permitless carry bill–suggested the only reason a permit exists is so the state government can collect fees for the exercise of natural rights.
Hoitenga said:
It is currently legal in the state of Michigan for a law-abiding person to openly carry a firearm on their person without any training classes, fees or state bureaucracy. It only becomes illegal when a person puts on a coat because the gun then becomes concealed. Our Second Amendment should not be used as a money grab for permit fees
Michigan Open Carry president Tom Lambert echoed Hoitenga, equating the fee for a concealed carry permit with a “coat tax.”
Presently, law-abiding Michigan residents have to pay about $100 to the state and take a class before being allowed to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense. This burdensome fee will be done away with if Hoitenga’s bill passes and is signed into law.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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