Michigan Democrats advance new proposed gun restrictions out of state Senate committee
Gun laws have come under renewed scrutiny in recent years after the Supreme Court recognized a right to carry concealed weapons.
However, that fact hasn't stopped Democrats in Michigan's state Senate from pushing through multiple new anti-gun bills.
One bill would ban bump stocks
According to WVNews, members of the Michigan state Senate Judiciary Committee advanced three pieces of legislation last week.
One of them is Senate Bill 224, which was sponsored by Democratic state Sen. Dayna Polehanki and bans the sale or possession of bump stocks.
"Destructive weapons of war should never have a place in our communities, yet devices that allow individuals to convert a rifle into a functioning machine gun remain legal in our state," Polehanki was quoted as saying.
"And let me be clear: these are not tools for sport or self-defense. Bump stocks are used to inflict maximum harm in seconds, and their continued availability puts every one of our communities at risk. That’s unacceptable, and it’s time for a change," she declared.
Other bills would target "ghost guns," expand gun-free zone
Two other pieces of legislation are Senate Bill 331 and Senate 332, both of which seek to ban the sale and possession of firearms which lack serial numbers.
Meanwhile, two additional bills would extend the Michigan Capitol Commission's current carry ban to include the Anderson House Office Building and the Binsfeld Senate Office Building.
The bills have received pushback from gun rights advocates, a fact which was slammed by Democratic state Sen. Sen. Sue Shink.
"And I'll just tell you, and also so that the people who are from those gun organizations know that, yeah, it’s scary to know that they’re out there pushing violence and pushing fear on people who just want to live in peace, who just want to be left alone to pursue their life, liberty and happiness,"
Shink went on to deride the arguments of Second Amendment supporters as being "bulls--t" before adding, "You shouldn’t have to put up with it."
Opponents warn of constitutional challenges
One of those pro-gun activists is Tom Lambert, who serves as legislative director at Michigan Open Carry. He suggested that bills have "have serious Second Amendment issues" as well as "serious Fifth Amendment issues."
"Not only are you taking lawfully possessed property that people acquire lawfully and possess lawfully today and you’re prohibiting it, you’re in the alternative requiring them to deface these items that, again, lawfully, do not have a serial number on them," Lambert complained.
"If you put one of these federally regulated serial numbers on them, you will decrease the value of those items, some of which are worth a significant amount, which constitutes a Fifth Amendment taking," he added.
