Michigan Legislature Considers Ban on Gun Bump Stocks
As the debate over gun regulations intensifies, Michigan is poised to take significant action on firearm accessories that have been at the center of national controversy. A bill seeking to ban bump stocks, which effectively enable semi-automatic weapons to fire rapidly, is slated for a vote in the Michigan Senate. This follows approval from a Senate committee earlier in the week.
Bump stocks gained notoriety after their use in the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, the deadliest in United States history, where the shooter fired 1,049 rounds in just 10 minutes, resulting in 60 fatalities and hundreds of injuries.
Senator Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) is spearheading the legislative initiative following a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year that invalidated a federal ban on bump stocks by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, yet left open the possibility for state-level legislation.
“In the absence of action from Congress, it’s now up to our state legislators to enact laws that will protect the safety of our citizens,” Polehanki stated during a Senate hearing on civil rights, judiciary, and public safety matters. She advocates for including bump stocks in existing state laws that already prohibit most citizens from owning bombs and machine guns.
In tandem with the bump stock legislation, the committee endorsed a proposal to ban “ghost guns,” which lack serial numbers, making them untraceable. Polehanki emphasized the importance of these measures, stating, “This legislative action is crucial to ensure that our state laws reflect the intent to prevent the use of devices that can significantly increase the lethality of firearms.”
Gun-rights advocates, however, argue that such laws could criminalize responsible gun owners without effectively tackling the root causes of gun violence. Brendan Boudreau, executive director of Great Lakes Gun Rights, voiced his concerns: “The common theme with these bills is the claim that these bills are about keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, yet what we see in these bills is actually the goal of turning as many gun owners into criminals as possible.”
Additionally, the committee endorsed a bill to enshrine a prohibition on firearms within the Michigan Capitol and legislative office buildings into state law. This rule includes exceptions for law enforcement officers and legislators who possess concealed pistol permits.
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