Michigan State Representative introduces constitutional carry bill
LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - In an exclusive with CBS News Detroit, State Rep. Angela Rigas says her new constitutional carry bill won't pass the legislature. And despite the long odds to get it across the finish line, she says it's still a battle worth fighting.
"Constitutional carry empowers citizens to be able to defend themselves as they should," said Rigas.
Simply put, constitutional carry allows people 21 and over to carry handguns without a permit. There are slight variations of these laws from one state to the next but states like Texas, Montana and Ohio are some of the more than 20 states that already don't require permits to carry.
"We need to feel safe in our environment," Rigas said. "We need to feel safe in public. And ultimately, having the ability to carry a firearm does keep you safe because you do have the ultimate right to defend yourself."
In 2023, Michigan passed multiple gun safety laws with a push coming after the mass shooting on Michigan State's campus in February.
Although students were a major driving force behind the demand for fewer guns, Rigas says implementing constitutional carry here could lower crime.
"The states that have constitutional carry actually have lower crime rates because people have the ability to defend themselves, and it ultimately drives crime down," she said.
But that's not a philosophy shared with State Sen. Rosemary Bayer.
"I don't think there's any data to support that, actually," she said. "States that have lesser gun regulation have more gun deaths and more gun incidents and more gun problems."
Bayer tells CBS News Detroit that this effort seems more like actual implementation than it is about getting a chance to just talk about the idea.
"When you're in the minority, the only opportunity we had to talk about these important issues to us was to introduce bills, even if we didn't think they were going to go anywhere and continue to talk about it in public," Bayer said.
"Ultimately, the duty of the government is to protect your rights, not infringe upon them," Rigas said.