Senate approves gun bill without PPO provision

LANSING – The first bill to get a vote in the state Legislature this year would abolish the county boards that determine whether a person can get a concealed weapons permit.

The bill, which transfers that authority to the Michigan State Police, was vetoed by Gov. Rick Snyder last month after victims rights advocates complained that a person who had a personal protection order against them could possibly get a gun.

The tweaked bill got rid of that language, said Sen. Mike Green, R-Mayville, the sponsor of the legislation, which passed the Senate on Tuesday on a mostly party-line vote of 28-9. All the Republicans and state Sen. David Knezak, D-Dearborn Heights, voted for the bill. The rest of the Democrats voted against it.

"I feel a lot better than I felt two to three weeks ago because now we've got it teed up for the governor to sign it," Green said. "But I get a little nervous if it hangs around a long time because people nitpick it to death."

Among the controversial provisions of Senate Bill 789, which was vetoed by Snyder, is one that says concealed weapons permits must be issued, even to people 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.

State Sen. Steve Bieda, D-Warren, voted against the bill, saying there doesn't seem to be a need to take the local control away from issuing concealed weapons permits.

"Some of the more egregious language was taken out," he said. "But I do think our locals are in a much better position to determine these type of decisions."

He wasn't surprised it was the first bill taken up in the new legislative session, noting, "I predicted it would be a gun bill or one of the social issues. It's kind of red meat for that party."

The bill passed during legislative horse-trading early in the morning of Dec. 19 as Snyder and legislative leaders worked to get the last GOP Senate vote needed to approve a road funding deal during the Legislature's final, lame duck session. That vote ultimately came after 5 a.m. from Green, who demanded that the gun bills be taken up in the House before he would cast a yes vote on the roads bill. The House passed SB 789 a few minutes later.

The new bill now moves to the House for consideration.

Contact Kathleen Gray: 517-372-8661, kgray99@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @michpoligal.