CCW Legislation - Show Your Support!

Your griping privileges have been revoked!  It's time to stop TALKING about the problem, and take action.  Three very important bills are in the pipeline, and legislators need to hear from you - NOW.


The first two, SB 58 and HB 4009, from Michigan, concern the elimination of so-called "pistol free zones" for holders of CPLs.  These identical bills were submitted for consideration in January, 2011, and because of Michigan's budget battles earlier this year, have been languishing in the Judiciary Committees of the House and Senate.  They are supposed to be added to the schedule in the very near future, but phone calls and emails to the Chairs of both of these committees, as well as communication with the legislators from your own district requesting their support for these bills, will add impetus to get them scheduled sooner rather than later.  


Why should we even be concerned?   Gun free zones are, in theory, supposed to provide protection to students, parishioners and physicians, among others, by denying access to people carrying weapons - even those private citizens who have been properly certified by the state.  And yet, with the exception of the shooting in Tucson, every large-scale shooting that has taken place in this country in the last 30+ years has occurred in areas that were designated to be gun-free and, therefore, deemed safer:  Columbine, Kentucky, Virginia Tech, churches.  On this basis, common sense would lead one to the conclusion that so-called "gun free" zones are counter-productive, that the likelihood of becoming a casualty in these areas is actually greater.  Since 1980, there have been 216 firearms-related incidents on the campuses of educational institutions across the nation (all of which were designated gun free zones) and 15 more at churches (of which all but one, New Life Church in Lakewood, CO, were gun free zones), resulting in 702 casualties (deaths/injuries/ hostages).  The shooting that took place at New Life Church in Lakewood, Colorado, the exception to the gun free zone designation, was stopped by an armed security officer who had been authorized by the pastor to carry her weapon there.  Had she not brought the shooter down, there would certainly have been many more dead.  Brendan Keefe, an emmy award-winning anchor and investigative reporter for WCPO in Cincinnati, made this observation in a recent email:  

Our detailed analysis of every major 'mass shooting' over four-plus decades did conclude that the vast majority took place in locations where guns were not otherwise allowed by law -- schools, post offices, college campuses, etc. ...The bottom line is that someone bent on committing mass murder is not going to be deterred by a sign saying guns are not allowed there -- they're already committing the most serious felony of all, murder.....Tactically speaking, any killer, sane or otherwise, would want to select a target based upon the resistance he would expect there -- putting yourself in the mind of the killer, you could be 100% assured that no one would be armed at a school or a place of business that posts signs banning guns.

These numbers demonstrate conclusively the veracity of the old cliche, "Where guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns."


It makes no sense that those who are certified to carry concealed are denied the privilege of carrying in these places.  After all, those possessing CPLs in Michigan have passed state-mandated training, have undergone background checks (twice - once before purchasing a handgun, and then one performed by the FBI before receiving a CPL), and have demonstrated an ability to safely handle firearms.  Numerous studies have proven that allowing greater access to CPLs has not increased the incidence of gun violence, particularly in Michigan.  On the contrary, as Governor Granholm was forced to admit a year after opposing the 2004 ballot initiative to expand access to CPLs, the incidence of gun violence in Michigan DECREASED. There is ample evidence to suggest, as was graphically demonstrated in the recent Walmart and Walgreen's pharmacy cases, that concealed carrying can provide a level of protection in a dangerous situation that police cannot.  Law enforcement has my full support, but trusting one's safety to them has one major drawback - they are almost never able to respond before something has actually happened.

These two bills would change that by providing those with CPLs to be proactive with regard to their own safety; it would also bring our laws into better conformity with the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights.

Click on the following two links to email these gentlemen - ask them to place these bills on their committee schedules as soon as possible:


Senate Chair Senator Rick Jones
House of Representatives Chair Representative John Walsh


You can find contact information for the Michigan legislators from your home district by going to:  http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(2axmao45czrdql55wylumlzj))/mileg.aspx?page=legislators.


CPLs have come a long way in recent years, but to say that we have arrived is premature.  You can bet that the anti-carry lobby, organizations such as the Brady Campaign (which is working toward complete disarmament), is working overtime to keep these bills from passing; your legislators need to hear from you - NOW!  Take a moment and help restore this foundational right to its proper Constitutional place in our society.