Governor vetoes gun bill criticized by women's groups

LANSING – Gov. Rick Snyder on Thursday vetoed a gun bill that stirred intense controversy after the Free Press highlighted a provision that could have given concealed pistol licenses to persons subject to restraining orders in stalking or domestic abuse cases.

Senate Bill 789, sponsored by Sen. Mike Green, R-Mayville, would have eliminated county gun boards, which now issue concealed pistol licenses, and turn that function over to county clerks and the Michigan State Police. Proponents said the main point of the legislation was to make Michigan a true "shall issue" state for concealed weapons licenses and eliminate what they say are variations among counties in what's required to obtain a permit.

The Free Press reported Jan. 6 that the bill included a provision that said concealed weapons permits must be issued, even to persons subject to personal protection orders for domestic violence or stalking, provided they would otherwise be eligible for a permit and a ban on obtaining a gun is not a condition of their personal protection orders.

Groups that advocate for victims of domestic abuse urged Snyder to veto the legislation, which was passed amid horse-trading for votes on Snyder's road package early in the morning of Dec. 19, the last session day of the lame duck Legislature.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn and U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, also urged Snyder to veto the legislation, saying it potentially could help put firearms in the hands of domestic abusers. Former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was among the victims of a 2011 shooting incident in Arizona, also spoke out against the bill.

But groups such as the National Rifle Association, which expressed disappointment with Snyder's veto, said the fears were overblown and noted anyone with a felony conviction for domestic abuse would still be ineligible for a concealed pistol license. Some gun rights activists noted personal protection orders, or restraining orders, can sometimes be issued on the basis of an accusation alone and should not in themselves restrict someone's constitutional rights to carry firearms.

Snyder said there are a number of reforms in SB 789, and its companion bill, SB 790, that he supports. He said he wants to work with the Legislature on new bills that could make the necessary changes without putting domestic abuse victims at risk.

"We simply can't and won't take the chance of exposing domestic abuse victims to additional violence or intimidation," Snyder said in a news release.

"There are certainly some reforms that can improve the way Michigan issues concealed pistol licenses and we support the rights of law-abiding firearm owners, but it's crucial that we leave in place protections for people who already have endured challenges and abuse."

Snyder said he was "particularly concerned by the fact that SB 789 would allow certain persons who are the subject of a personal protection order to obtain a concealed pistol license," since "under the current law, no person who is the subject of a PPO may obtain a license to carry a concealed pistol."

Dingell, who wrote Snyder telling of the trauma and fear she endured growing up in a household with an abusive father, applauded Snyder's decision, which she said "most certainly saved the lives of many women and children in Michigan."

Dingell said the gun bill wasn't a partisan issue, "but one that affects all women and families in our state."

Green could not immediately be reached for comment.

Brady Schickinger, executive director of the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners, said Snyder's veto was not unexpected, given the concerns raised over the personal protection order issue.

But that piece of the bill wasn't critical, he said. The important part was getting a uniform system in Michigan under which people entitled to concealed pistol licenses would have them issued in a uniform manner and without delay.

"It's something we can easily remedy," said Schickinger, who hopes a revised version of the bill, which doesn't contain the PPO provision, can be passed by the Legislature and land on Snyder's desk early this year.

Chris Cox, executive director of the NRA's Institute for Legislative Action, said in a news release that Snyder's veto actually hurt domestic abuse victims, because the bill included another provision that provided for expedited concealed pistol licenses for persons seeking restraining orders against someone else.

Making sure an accused domestic abuser couldn't get a concealed pistol license under the new law put victims to no more extra trouble than "checking a box" requesting a firearm ban be included with the PPO, Cox said.

Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @paulegan4.