Proposed Michigan Senate bills would ban guns inside state Capitol
LANSING, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - Two Michigan Senate bills that would ban CPL holders from carrying weapons into the Michigan State Capitol building and the House and Senate office buildings passed out of committee on Thursday.
The legislation's next step is to go to the House and Senate for a vote before heading to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk.
The committee meeting was open to public comment, and eventually, the discussion became heated—including one commenter using racial slurs to display his opposition.
The main point of contention appeared to revolve around some sections in the original form of Senate Bill 587, which included churches, venues and large sporting events.
"We want to make it very clear that's not the case, and we are adopting a substitute today," said Sen. Dana Polehanki (D-Livonia), who introduced the bill. "The purpose of our bill is to codify the weapons ban in the Michigan capitol and adjacent buildings only."
The weapons ban Polehanki referred to was enacted by the Capitol Commission, which is a six-member body appointed by the sitting governor. It followed the incident in April 2020 when protestors entered the state capitol – armed with long guns — during discussions of Michigan State regulations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It was frightening to see colleagues putting on bulletproof vests in the legislature," Polehanki said. "In the days that followed I bought a bulletproof desk. I bought a helmet. And they're still underneath my desk."
Polehanki told CBS News Detroit that's where they will remain until the ban is codified into law.
"Because I worry a new governor could uproot all of that with a new commission," Polehanki said. "I don't want to see that happen again. It was not a good day for me, my colleagues, our staff, people in the capitol, or the state of Michigan."