State lawmakers are considering legislation to require Michigan gun dealers to be licensed by the state.
At Tuesday’s state Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety committee meeting, gun control and gun rights advocates squared off over SB 583 and SB 584.
SB 583 would require gun store owners to obtain a state license for each location where they sell firearms.
SB 584 would set rules for how firearms should be securely stored at retail stores.
At this week’s committee hearing, representatives from several gun rights groups pointed out that Michigan gun dealers are already licensed under federal law.
“I believe these bills do not seek to solve an existing problem, but only add regulations and bureaucratic hurdles for the legal sale and possession of firearms, something guaranteed by the Constitution and upheld over and over again in the courts,” the National Rifle Association’s Nick Buggia told the committee.
But gun control advocates testified that Trump administration budget cuts to the agency responsible for overseeing gun dealers have left federal oversight lacking.
“Most firearms are produced by a licensed manufacturer and shipped to a licensed dealer,” testified Marianna Mitchem, with Everytown for Gun Safety. “It is at this stage that irresponsible dealers choose to ignore obvious red flags and proceed with illegal firearm sales to traffickers who in turn arm violent offenders and trigger pullers.”
Committee Chair State Senator Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) expects the committee will vote on the gun dealer licensing legislation in the coming weeks.
There are currently 15 states that have some form of licensing required from gun dealers, including Indiana, Illinois and Alabama.
