It was Sept. 8, 1925. Members of the Ku Klux Klan gathered outside the home of Dr. Ossian Sweet, a black physician who had moved into an all-white neighborhood in Detroit. The mob threw rocks, and eventually, shots were fired. At the end, a Klan member lay dead and another wounded.
Sweet was tried, found not guilty, and released, infuriating the Klan. To discourage other blacks from taking up arms to defend their homes and families, Klan members lobbied for gun boards to determine who should be licensed to carry a firearm. This led to the passage of the Michigan Firearms Act of 1927, which created county gun boards.
Once these boards were created, blacks were left to the mercy of board members who determined the validity of their claims. Most were denied.
Despite a history of racism and constitutional violations, these gun boards still exist.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder had a chance to eliminate these boards when Senate Bill 789 was brought to his desk. On Jan. 15, he vetoed the bill. Fortunately, after a recent reintroduction as SB 34, Snyder will soon have another chance to vote for common-sense gun reform in Michigan.
SB 789 represented the next step in expanding the ability of Michigan citizens to acquire a concealed carry license. The bill removed county gun boards from the decision process, effectively making Michigan a true shall-issue state.
The difference between may-issue and shall-issue states in terms of licensing is simple. In the former, citizens can apply for a concealed carry license, but the governing authority can deny them a license for arbitrary reasons, even if they meet the requirements.
In a shall-issue state, the government creates a set of standards that a concealed carry applicant must meet. For Michigan, the applicant must be 21 years old, have no felony convictions, and complete a training course, among others. Assuming these criteria are met, the government has no choice but to issue a license.
The elements of shall-issue have been a part of Michigan law since 2001, when the basic requirements were set forth. Despite this, one provision of the old law remained: County gun boards.
Though the 2001 law prevents the boards from denying a claim from a qualified applicant, they have the ability to make the process painful and time-consuming. In Wayne County, which contains most of Detroit, some applicants reported waiting as long as five months.
In addition to discouraging would-be concealed carry holders, these boards are an egregious misuse of time, material, manpower, and taxpayer money.
Despite this, Snyder vetoed the bill, reasoning that these changes might make it easier for individuals subject to a personal protection order to obtain a license. On the surface, it seems like valid criticism. Nobody wants wife-beating psychos walking around with a Glock in their pants.
But once other aspects of Michigan law are examined, his explanation falls apart. The current law regarding person protection orders prevents the subject of such an order from buying or possessing a firearm, regardless of the reason for the order. In addition, under the provisions for licensing, any person with a history of violence or abuse is automatically prohibited from obtaining a license.
Furthermore, the continued existence of these gun boards and the drawn-out, convoluted process they create serves only to hinder those who could benefit from the possession of a concealed weapon. Say, victims of domestic violence who requested a PPO, perhaps.
This isn’t Snyder’s first veto along these lines. In December 2012, he vetoed SB 59, which would have allowed concealed carry holders with extra training to carry a handgun into so-called “gun-free zones,” such as schools, churches, and large entertainment venues.
Along with his veto of SB 789, these examples serve to illustrate that Snyder is far from a champion of liberty. Instead, he is nothing more than a malleable pawn of gun control progressives, easily fooled and easily controlled. With the reintroduction of the bill, Snyder has a chance to redeem himself. Let’s hope he takes it.
