By David Eggert
Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A commission that oversees the Michigan Capitol voted Monday to form a committee to study whether to ban or restrict guns inside the building.
The State Capitol Commission will seek input from the Legislature, which is controlled by Republicans, and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who has a ceremonial office in the Statehouse. The move came less than two weeks after some lawmakers said they felt intimidated by armed demonstrators protesting the governor’s orders to curb the coronavirus.
Attorney General Dana Nessel, a Democrat, issued a formal opinion stating the six-member panel can legally prohibit firearms in the Capitol. Democratic lawmakers urged the commission to act quickly.
But some commission members said they wanted additional time to study the issue. A lawyer for the panel said the Legislature has authority to change law to regulate firearms at the Capitol generally, particularly as it relates to pubic galleries overlooking the House and Senate chambers.
The commission, said Amy Shaw, can only adopt rules and procedures related to the maintenance and preservation of the building.
“A public policy-making decision of this magnitude rests with the law-making body of the state: the Legislature,” she said.
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