December 17, 2012

The Michigan Senate on December 12 rejected an attempt to eliminate a law requiring people who buy handguns from unlicensed sellers to first pass a background check, voting instead to preserve every essential element of a system mayors and police called a successful crime-fighting tool.

A Mayors Against Illegal Guns press release on the vote said that it represented “a remarkable turnaround for legislation the National Rifle Association’s Washington office had designed as a vehicle to repeal the state’s ‘permit to purchase’ system and eliminate the permit database maintained by the Michigan State Police.”

“Michiganders can be proud of their legislators and their governor today,” said New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, co-chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. “It’s amazing that the Washington gun lobby thought they could give marching orders to Lansing, but they almost succeeded. Governor Snyder and the Senate stood up against enormous pressure to keep Michigan safe.”

“It took a coalition of mayors, law enforcement officials and domestic violence prevention advocates to come together and stop the NRA’s attempt to end background checks for private gun sales in Michigan,” said Mayors Against Illegal Guns Co-Chair Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

Late this Fall, a coalition of Michigan mayors who are members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, law enforcement leaders, and domestic violence opponents launched a furious lobbying effort to save both elements of the system. The Michigan State Police argued that eliminating the permits, which are only issued to applicants who pass a background check, would give felons, the seriously mentally ill and domestic abusers instant access to firearms sold by unlicensed “private sellers.” While federal law requires licensed firearms dealers to conduct checks, it does not require private sellers to do so.

Reacting to the Senate vote, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero commented: “This month, Michigan mayors joined with law enforcement officials from around the state and we spoke with one powerful voice – that effective gun laws save lives. We stood up for common sense, and we won.”

“This is an issue we care deeply about in West Michigan,” said Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell. “I am proud of our tradition of responsible gun ownership in this part of the state. We are hunters and sportsmen and we want to protect our families. But we also want to do everything we possibly can to keep guns out of the hands of criminals, domestic abusers, and the severely mentally ill,” he continued.