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A crowd gathers at the House Judiciary Committee Tuesday, May 16, 2017 to listen to testimony and weigh in on legislation that would allow people to carry concealed firearms without a concealed pistol license.

(Lauren Gibbons | MLive)

Legislation that would allow gun owners without a concealed pistol license to carry concealed firearms drew a crowd at a Tuesday House Judiciary Committee meeting.

The four-bill package is sponsored by Republican Reps. Michele Hoitenga, Pamela Hornberger, Sue Allor and Triston Cole. The most controversial of the four, HB 4416, would lift the prohibition on concealed carry without a license for all but those who are already prohibited from carrying a firearm by state or federal law.

During testimony, Hoitenga, R-Manton, said the legislation does not eliminate background checks or gun free zones currently codified under state law. Gun owners without a concealed pistol license would also not have reciprocity with most other states.

"It is currently legal in the state of Michigan for a law-abiding person to openly carry a firearm on their person without any training classes, fees or state bureaucracy," she said. "It only becomes illegal when a person puts on a coat, because the gun then becomes concealed. One millimeter of clothing makes the difference between a criminal act and a legal act."

She told the committee the legislation would help law-abiding gun owners concealed carry even if they can't afford licensing and training: "Women, elderly, vulnerable and economically disadvantaged people should not be excluded from concealed carry because they can't afford the fees associated with the permit process," she said.

In the House Judiciary Committee meeting on the legislation, crowds of people filled both the hearing room and overflow areas to weigh in.

Supporters said allowing gun owners to concealed carry without a license would help avoid situations where people make a mistake while carrying or transporting their firearm only to get charged with a felony.

Critics were concerned the legislation would prove a safety risk and raise legal quandaries, including whether people currently prohibited from obtaining a concealed pistol license would now be able to carry concealed firearms under the bills.

Rep. Tim Griemel, D-Auburn Hills, expressed concern that penalties for those who do not disclose concealed firearms to law enforcement during a traffic stop could be stripped from state law under the proposed bills, and also questioned what would happen to laws preventing people who have a personal protection order out against them from obtaining a concealed pistol license.

David Hiller of the Fraternal Order of Police said the legislation as written "basically allows anyone to go out purchase a handgun and carry it concealed."

He said the FOP strongly opposes the bills because it would strip away training requirements for carrying concealed firearms and potentially put the community at risk.

But Tom Lambert, representing the group Michigan Open Carry, said the bill doesn't change who can have a firearm or where they can carry it. He said it would improve upon the existing practice of requiring gun owners without a concealed pistol license to carry their firearms more than necessary, especially when transporting guns in their vehicles.

"It allows people to carry in the manner they choose that's best for their specific situation," he said.

The legislation didn't come up for a vote at Tuesday's hearing, but Committee Chair Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, said he expects to hold another hearing on the subject next week.