Michigan Bill Would Turn State Into Second Amendment Santuary

AP Photo/ Rick Bowmer

In theory, it shouldn’t be possible to turn into a Second Amendment sanctuary. After all, if the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, then clearly there shouldn’t be enough laws on the books for a sanctuary law to have any meaning.

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Yet there are gun control laws aplenty, which means there’s a place in this country for sanctuaries.

And a bill in Michigan wants to make the entire state just such a sanctuary.

State Rep. Gina Johnsen and Sen. Jonathan Lindsey have proposed two new bills that would make Michigan a gun sanctuary state. The two Republicans’ plan to make Michigan a state that protects the Second Amendment to a greater degree.

So far, two bills exist, but have yet to be passed: House Bill 5132 and Senate Bill 584. In the strictest terms, they would grant the state license to enforce which federal regulations regarding firearms they would like to recognize. This would mean a lapse in universal background checks, red flag laws and any others that inhibit gun ownership in the state. The legislators see these obstacles as infringing upon the Second Amendment. Though this is a partisan matter, opinions on gun control are extremely varied across the state.

As long as Second Amendment issues remain a vital and contentious talking point in America, these propositions will spark debate. Whitt Kilburn, a political science professor at GVSU recognized the legitimacy of the legislation being proposed but insisted it might not matter much, based on the current party makeup of the legislature.

“With the Democrats in the state legislature in the majority, it has no chance of passing,” Kilburn said. “I would add, however, that I suspect this bill would not have an easy time passing even with Republican control of the legislature. Michigan is not Texas.”

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I’m in complete agreement with Kilburn.

If the GOP was in control, there would be a chance of the bill passing, sure, but right now? I’ve got a better chance of being elected governor of Michigan and I don’t even live there.

And we need to address the fact that Missouri just got smacked down for their sanctuary law.

As such, that would likely play on the minds of at least some prospective supporters of this. Why pass a law when you know the courts are just going to overturn it?

Look, I get the desire. Our Second Amendment rights matter and we’re constantly watching people try to justify stripping them from us–and far too many of them succeeding, it should be remembered. Preserving those rights is an important act and so I get where they’re coming from.

But Michigan also just passed a number of gun control bills.

One would imagine if there were sufficient will to become a sanctuary state, then there would have been enough political will to block the gun control measures.

There wasn’t.

I think a better use of time and resources here would be to show the people of Michigan just how important our Second Amendment rights are and how they’re beneficial for the entire state.

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