Michiganders! Support HB 5225

[Sergeant Bob]

Michigan House Committee to Consider Repeal of Handgun Permit-to-Purchase and Registration
The Michigan House Judiciary Committee will have a hearing on Thursday, May 17, to review an important and long-overdue bill that would eliminate the state handgun “permit-to-purchase” and registration requirements.  This committee will hear House Bill 5225 and consider this proposed amendment language that will be used as a substitute for HB 5225 when this hearing takes place.

HB 5225, introduced by state Representative Paul Opsommer (R-93), would abolish the bureaucratic “permit-to-purchase” handguns which became obsolete when the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) went into effect in 1998.  Under the current state system, gun buyers must apply with their local law enforcement agency and pass a written test before being authorized to buy a handgun.  This “permit” is valid for only one gun and it expires after ten days.  Since 1998, federal law has required a national criminal records check for the purchase of any firearm from any gun dealer in every state.  Some of the key points of the proposed amendment to HB 5225 are:

Repeal the state requirement for someone to ask for police permission to purchase a firearm by traveling to a local police station and obtaining a permit to purchase.
 
Repeal the requirement to register a completely legally purchased and owned firearm by a law-abiding citizen to be registered with the government through the police.
 
Adopt the use of the federally-funded National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
 
Default to the federal standard of prohibited persons and each purchase would still require a background check.
 
Cut Michigan’s costs by using the federally-administered instant background check system and eliminate wasted man-hours of tracking lawful gun owners in Michigan.
The NRA has been working diligently to repeal this antiquated, costly and unnecessary obstacle for gun owners and has coordinated with several state Representatives to produce new language for HB 5225.   Two companion bills are also moving through the House: House Bill 5498, sponsored by state Representative Richard LeBlanc (D-18), and House Bill 5499, sponsored by state Representative Ray Franz (R-101).  

Please contact members of the state House Judiciary Committee and respectfully urge them to support HB 5225.  Committee member contact information is provided here.

It's time we rid ourselves of this back door pistol registration scheme!

[SteveS]

About time.  I am going to try to go to the hearing on this bill.

[RaspberrySurprise]

It would be nice to see this racist (the law was passed in the 1920's after a black man defending himself from a white mob) law repealed but I doubt it will happen. I think it's been tried before.

On further reading of the actual law:
Is the quoted information from the NRA because if so its increadibly wrong HB 5225 does not repeal the requirement for a pistol purchase permit or for the registration of a pistol.

http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?2011-HB-5225

After even more review it appears the "new" language may simply not be posted on the state website yet.

[Sergeant Bob]

Here's an update on the bill:

Michigan House Votes Overwhelmingly to Repeal Permit-to-Purchase and Registration
Yesterday, the Michigan House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to repeal the state handgun “permit-to-purchase” and registration requirements.  House Bill 5225 passed in the state House by a 74 to 36 vote.  HB 5225 would repeal the bureaucratic state “permit-to-purchase” handguns and instead utilize the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System.  House Bill 5498 and House Bill 5499 also passed in the state House along with HB 5225.  These three bills now go to the state Senate where they will be assigned to the appropriate committees.

HB 5225, sponsored by state Representative Paul Opsommer (R-93), which became obsolete when the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) took effect in 1998.  Under the current state process, gun buyers must apply with their local law enforcement agency and pass a written test before being authorized to buy a handgun.  This “permit” is valid for only one gun and it expires after ten days.  Since 1998, federal law has required a national criminal records check for the purchase of any firearm, from any gun dealer, in every state.

Some of the key points of HB 5225 as amended are:

Repeal the state requirement to seek police permission to purchase a firearm by traveling to a local police station and obtaining a permit to purchase.
Repeal the requirement to register a completely legally purchased and owned firearm by a law-abiding citizen to be registered with the government through the police.
Adopt the use of the federally-funded National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
Default to the federal standard of prohibited persons and each purchase would still require a background check.
Cut Michigan’s costs by using the federally-administered national instant background check system and eliminate wasted man-hours of tracking lawful gun owners in Michigan.
The NRA has been working diligently to repeal this antiquated, costly and unnecessary obstacle for gun owners and has coordinated with several state Representatives to produce the new language for HB 5225.  HB 5498, sponsored by state Representative Richard LeBlanc (D-18), provides for the legal penalties relating to firearms and other weapons.   HB 5499, sponsored by state Representative Ray Franz (R-101), clarifies the regulations regarding the sale of firearms to “prohibited persons” and makes them consistent with federal standards.

Now if the amended bill makes it through the senate we're set.