On Wednesday the Michigan House passed legislation to stop requiring a government-issued permit for residents to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense.
Prior to the vote, state Rep. Lee Chatfield (R-Levering) said, “There seems to be some confusion of what our constitutional rights are. Our right to defend ourselves comes from our Creator. Today’s a good day, when you get to vote to uphold the constitution.”
The legislation passed on a vote of 59 to 49.
According to the Lansing State Journal, state Rep. Donna Lasinski (D-Scio) argued against allowing law-abiding citizens to carry guns for self-defense without being required to take state-approved training. She said, “This is dangerous for our law enforcement and families. As a law abiding gun owner, I honor and respect the Second Amendment. Expanding concealed carry while removing training requirement is not sensible, dangerous and it’s not good for our community.” But state Rep. Gary Glenn (R-Midland) countered, saying, “The people’s Republic of Vermont, Bernie Sanders-ville has had this for years and it’s not a hotbed of gun violence.”
The legislation now goes to the Michigan Senate and if passed and signed into law, will make Michigan the 13th state to recognize permitless carry as the law of the land. The 12 states where permitless carry is already law are Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming, and West Virginia. It should be noted that Arkansas and Montana recognize permitless carry throughout the majority of their states as well.
On June 7 Breitbart News reported FBI crime figures showing that handgun murders dropped in Alaska, Arizona, and Wyoming, after those states abolished their concealed carry permit requirement.
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.