Michigan used to be pretty decent on guns. After all, a state with a strong outdoor tradition tends to favor the kind of individualism that lends itself well to firearms and a respect for gun rights.
But Michigan has started being driven more by the urban centers, and that's led to gun control. It's not over, either.
In a surprise to absolutely no one who has been paying attention, the state that elected Gretchen Whitmer as governor and has backed more anti-gun Democrats of late is far from done seeing its right to keep and bear arms assaulted by those who claim to favor the everyman.
Michigan Democrats have spent the past few years passing one gun law after another – and yet, somehow, the message from the left is that the job is nowhere near finished. If you’re wondering what’s left to regulate after background checks, storage mandates, red-flag orders, and other restrictions, Democratic gubernatorial hopefuls are happy to explain at an upcoming gun violence prevention forum this May.
Accepting the invitation to attend the forum ahead of the Aug. 4 primary election are Democratic gubernatorial candidates Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.
The forum, advertised on the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Dearborn–Dearborn Heights website, is organized by End Gun Violence Michigan and sponsored by the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan which is a member organization. The forum will be held at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Detroit.
The theme? Not rights or balance. It looks like the theme is regulation – and more of it.
Not a debate – a direction.
The forum is billed as “a unique opportunity for our community to engage directly with candidates running for governor. Each candidate will be invited to share their vision for keeping Michigan communities safe and to answer our questions about how they plan to be true champions for gun violence prevention.”
On the agenda is how the candidates plan to address protecting schools and kids, suicide prevention, community violence intervention, protecting democracy and “holding the gun industry accountable.”
There will also be a “fair” so that the attendees can sign up and get involved with local groups that are working on gun violence prevention issues.
Noted later in the piece is that there seems to be no desire on the part of organizers to hear different viewpoints. In other words, they're going to tell you exactly how they intend to infringe on people's right to keep and bear arms, and you are supposed to pick your favorite flavor of infringement.
Granted, these are just the Democratic candidates. There's still a Republican Party in the state, after all, and they're far less likely to have such a "forum."
The thing is, there are solutions to "gun violence" that don't involve gun control. Our non-gun homicide rate is higher than that of other developed countries, which means the problem isn't the firearms themselves, but the hearts of entire communities that have no respect for human life. That's always been the problem.
Unfortunately, most Democrats have zero interest in discussing any of them. Not unless we're also ready to give up our guns, anyway, and if we did that, any gains would automatically be chalked up to the gun control, not any of the other stuff that took place.
The truth is that we've seen this, though. Baltimore, for example, is a prime example. They passed gun control in Maryland, sure, but they did a pile of other stuff that had a real effect. Now, Baltimore is far safer than it was just a few years ago.
Why isn't this stuff on the table? Why is it that whenever a Democrat talks about "gun safety" or "gun violence prevention," they almost never talk about this stuff? Because they don't give a damn about violent crime. They give a damn about guns and gun control.
Just the control.
In Michigan, despite violent crime dropping across the nation, expect to see the midterm campaign season filled with candidates acting as if the issue is growing and that if we don't act, blood will be on our hands for failing to do as our self-appointed betters demand and give up our guns.
If you live there, dig in.
Those of us in pro-gun states should be prepared to lend support to our brothers and sisters in occupied territory.
