MI HB 6048 of 2010

Joel -

Can you elaborate on the need for this bill and the elimination of County Gun Boards to be replaced by the Secretary Of State?

I look forward to your prompt response.

Sincerely,

PDinDetroit

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PDinDetroit,

There are multiple reasons the change is needed. They include:

1. Long wait times for permit approval, sometimes exceeding six months.

2. Inconsistent interpretation and application of the law.

3. Local requirements forcing applicants to attend county gun board meetings during regular business owners, requiring them to take time off of work. This is a particular hardship for commuters who do not work in the county in which they live.

4. Administrative burden on county clerks offices.

In short, the administration of the state's CCW process at the county level across 83 counties has been a mess and continues to get worse as applications increase. Creating a uniform process and centralizing it through the Secretary of State would benefit both applicants and county staff.

Sincerely,

Joel Sheltrown
State Representative
103rd House District

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Joel -

Good morning. Thank you for the prompt response, one of the quickest I have ever had.

Based upon the reasoning below, I fully support your efforts and this bill. I have a CPL (not a CCW anymore) and it took approximately 6 weeks from Application Submitted to CPL being issued and mailed. From what I have gathered, I am one of the lucky ones who have not had any issue with this process. I agree that due to the volume of CPL Applications, a different body should undertake support for this process. I have often wondered why we would keep these functions with local gun boards in the first place. Local Control is good when it makes sense, in this case it does not and abuses have occurred.

I would hope that the following would be addressed by this effort:

1. Appropriate Firearms and MI/Federal Firearms Law Training would occur for SOS Employees. Since the Local Gun Boards will be abandoned, there any many functions that the SOS will undertake support for if it becomes law. I do not think I saw training requirements in the bill, which is appropriate given the newly-added functions. This is highly important as we have Police Officers, Prosecutors, etc here in MI who do not know the MI Firearms Laws and cause issues for Lawful Pistol Carriers (especially those who choose to Open Carry).

2. Have the CPL Physical License either be part of the MI Driver's License or equivalent form of identification. The CPL License I have today looks like it was made by a 3rd Grader on his basement computer and does not fit well inside a wallet.

I would ask that you consider the following as well for future bills:

A. The Pistol Purchase Permits undergo some of the same issues you have identified for CPL (especially 2-4, with 4 being for local police offices). I know of situations where the local Police Department would deny a Pistol Purchase Permit, but yet the person was able to obtain a CPL without any difficulty whatsoever. I ask that the Pistol Purchase Permits be eliminated altogether or, at bare minimum, be moved to the SOS as well. I believe it is against the Michigan Constitution (specifically Article I, Section 6) to require a person to obtain Permission to exercise a Right. I believe it only a matter of time before this law is challenged, which costs the taxpayers time and resources, as I do not believe it would stand up to MI Constitutional Authority.

Thank you again for your efforts!

Sincerely,

PDinDetroit

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PDinDetroit,

Training would be the responsibility of the Secretary of State. We don't typically write administrative training into law.

It is my understanding that Secretary Land supports putting a CPL endorsement on the drivers' license or state ID.

I am working at eliminating handgun registration. Rep. Opsommer and I had legislation signed into law last session that eliminated the pistol safety inspection requirement. Rep. Meltzer and I have legislation that will be brought up shortly to eliminate the requirement to obtain a purchase permit with every new handgun purchase. Outright elimination of purchase permits and handgun registration will need to wait until there is a new governor or a favorable court decision.

Joel

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Joel -

Excellent sir! Please let me know how I can assist, I will make myself available if possible. I do tend to get busy with work (Chief IT Architect for a major computer firm), but this is an issue near and dear to my heart.

- PDinDetroit

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Being out of town and Michigan my home state... I just could Never wrap my head around the whole County Gun Boards review. I just can't imagine appearing in front of a panel of individuals to divulge my needs and wants. Ew the whole situation creeps me out. Back in Michigan; my friends and I used to dream of getting CCWs when we turned 21.. That was back in High School before I realized my local Sheriff was probably going to tell me to Get Lost. Didn't own a business. Don't have money. Not a target for criminals. Haven't been threatened..

Come to think of it; probably easier to move here to CO- get a CHP- and move back. At least then you'll have a CHP to apply for your CCW with. Helps the chances.

I'm really glad to see a shift in responsibility. While I haven't studied the bill; I look forward to Michigan residents having easier- and equal- access to individual self defense with a handgun.

I absolutely hate that Michigan's CCW is discretionary.

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Shall Issue. Exactly What's the County Gun Board for? Or is that the reason why we're dumping it on the SOS?

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cscitney87 wrote:

Shall Issue. Exactly What's the County Gun Board for? Or is that the reason why we're dumping it on the SOS?

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Currently, the County Gun Boards fulfill multiple purposes including CPL (Concealed Pistol License) Processing. The bill listed in this post would centralize the responsibility to the SOS (Secretary Of State).

Please see MCL 28.425b for more information on county gun boards responsibility for CPL processing:

http://legislature.mi.gov/doc.aspx?mcl-28-425b

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An endorsement on the regular drivers license/enhanced drivers license would also be nice. Something a little more prefessional in appearance then the little green paper would be nothing but better in my eyes.

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It is my understanding that Secretary Land supports putting a CPL endorsement on the drivers' license or state ID.

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