Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel testified before the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee Thursday in support of the following proposed gun safety legislative packages:
• SB 76-78 requires a license or background check for the purchase of firearms.
• SB 79-82 establishes safe storage requirements to ensure minors do not have access to the firearms kept in their homes. The package will also remove the sales and use taxes on firearm safety devices to reduce the burden this new responsibility places on gun owners.
• SB 83-86 creates a process in Michigan law whereby individuals who are close to a gun owner, and who believe they may be at risk of harming themselves or others, can obtain an Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) to temporarily repossess their weapons. Existing ERPO laws in other states are commonly referred to as “red flag” laws.
“As the top law enforcement agent in the state of Michigan, and as a mother, I too am exasperated and disgusted that thousands of Michigan residents fall victim each year to the scourge of senseless, preventable gun violence in our state,” Nessel testified. “These are practical and effective measures that are already saving lives in other states and will here as well. In the event that they are challenged in court, it would be my duty and honor to defend them. I pledge that when these laws are enacted, I will use every tool of my office to ensure that every Michigan resident is informed about these laws and that they will be vigorously enforced.”
Nessel has long supported the strengthening of Michigan’s gun safety laws, called for federal regulations on ghost guns, and supports accountability measures for the firearm industry.
