Link to the February 2022 Michigan Libertarian
On the surface, House Bill 5658 aims to introduce a seven-day “waiting period” for all firearm sales, in the State of Michigan. While the ability to wait for seven days may be a minor inconvenience, to some people, there are many individuals who do not have the luxury of planning ahead.
People may come into an immediate need to acquire self-defense tools, of which firearms are one of the most useful. For example, in 2015 a New Jersey woman was murdered by her ex-boyfriend while she awaited the state’s approval to purchase a handgun. (Gutowski, 2015)
A deeper look at this bill shows us that the law, being amended, affects licensed firearms dealers and all individuals who wish to sell firearms. If the bill were signed into law, firearm sales between private parties (non-licensed individuals) would be subject to the seven-day holding period. So in effect, this law will make the vast majority of private firearm sales so inconvenient, to complete legally, that private firearm sales will become non-existent (or move entirely to the black market).
This is a CALL TO ACTION. Please call and email the chairs of the respective committees in the House and Senate. Please request that they let these bills die, by refusing to introduce them to the committees.
Contacts in the House
In the House Military, Veterans and Homeland Security Committee, please contact:
Chair, Beau LaFave (517) 373-0156, BeauLaFave@house.mi.gov
Other committee members:
Andrew Beeler (517) 373-0835, AndrewBeeler@house.mi.gov
Julie M. Rogers (517) 373-1785, JulieRogers@house.mi.gov
Gary Eisen (517) 373-1790, GaryEisen@house.mi.gov
Bob Bezotte (517) 373-8835, RobertBezotte@house.mi.gov
David Martin (517) 373-7557, DavidMartin@house.mi.gov
Sarah Anthony (517) 373-0826, SarahAnthony@house.mi.gov
Kevin Coleman (517) 373-2576, KevinColeman@house.mi.gov
Richard Steenland (517) 373-0854, RichardSteenland@house.mi.gov
References
Gutowski, S. (2015). New Jersey Woman Stabbed to Death by Ex While Waiting for Gun Permit. Washington Free Beacon. Retrieved December 30th 2021, from https://freebeacon.com/issues/new-jersey-woman-stabbed-to-death-by-ex-while-waiting-for-gun-permit/.
Joe Brungardt
Legislative Committee Member