Over the protests of the Michigan Fraternal Order of Police, the Michigan Legislature is considering bills that would eliminate the requirement to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
David Hiller, spokesman for the Michigan FOP, said their organization “strongly opposes” the bills because it gets rid of gun training requirements.
“To put a firearm in the hands of someone with no required training to us is absolutely absurd,” Hiller said.
Gun advocates say the bills will not erode gun safety as opponents are suggesting. In Michigan, there is already no permit required for open carry of a firearm. If the firearm is covered by clothing or otherwise concealed in any way, a concealed carry permit must be obtained for legal carry.
The current law requires a concealed carry permit along with eight hours of gun safety training. Altogether, these cost about $100.
The proposed bill would allow someone to carry a concealed pistol with no permit or training. People who can not currently get a gun because of the background would still be prohibited. It would also remove a prohibition against security guards only carrying a concealed weapon while they are on duty. It would also remove a firearm from laws that prohibit carrying dangerous weapons, whether the firearm is concealed or not.
These are the same bills we wrote about back in April. The House had not begun hearings on those bills at that time.
According to The Detroit Free Press, the hearing rooms were packed with people on both sides of the argument.
