The Michigan State Capitol Commission took unanimous action Monday to ban the open carry of firearms in the Capitol building in Lansing.
The New York Times notes that Michigan is an open carry state, yet the ban means firearms cannot be openly carried in the Capitol.
The ban was supported by Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey (R-Clarklake) but opposed by House Speaker Jason Wentworth (R-Farwell), who does not believe the commission has the authority to enact the ban.
Concealed carry license holders will still be able to carry their firearms, concealed rather than open, and this drew the ire of State Rep. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing), who wanted all guns banned, period.
“The reality is that whether a gun is openly carried, or it’s concealed in a pocket or an oversized coat, it is still a deadly weapon,” Anthony said. “And I am still unsure if the men and women who work in this building every day feel any safer because of this action. I am excited that there’s a little momentum, but the work is not done.”
But Commissioner William Kandler noted that he and his fellow commissioners went as far with the ban as they thought they could go. CBS News quoted Kandler saying, “We determined that the extreme limit of our real authority to actually implement something was to implement a ban on open carry.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
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