LANSING, Mich. – A Michigan State House committee voted along party lines to advance a bill package of red flag gun laws.
The idea behind the legislation is to temporarily remove firearms from an individual deemed to be a risk.
Under the language, the House is considering a boyfriend/girlfriend, family member, former spouse, or law enforcement for mental health professional could petition a judge in any circuit court in the state, no matter where the individual in question lives, to get their firearms removed immediately if a preponderance of the evidence shows them to be a threat.
It would then be up to the individual in question to prove they are not a risk.
This bill package is unlikely to get any Republican support because of concerns over due process.
That means it will need all 56 Democrats to vote yes for passage, and there are grumblings among some that those bills might disproportionately impact communities of color.
Gun bills requiring safe storage and universal background checks have already cleared both chambers with some GOP support.
Nineteen states and the District of Columbia have similar laws. However, New York State has seen court challenges to the language used when determining what the threshold is to seize an individual’s firearms.
