A new bill that would ban assault rifle sales and possession in Michigan has added fuel to the gun debate and drawn both criticism and praise.

Some believe it will go nowhere, while a supporter says it's part of a needed conversation about gun control in the wake of tragedies like the June Orlando nightclub shooting, where a gunman used a rifle to kill 49 people.

Senator Ken Horn, R-Frankenmuth, said he's been approached by people in his community with concerns and questions about the bill, and he tells them he believes it's dead on arrival.

Ken Horn smiles while speaking with supporters while waiting for election results to come in at Apple Mountain Resort, 4519 North River in Freeland, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. (Neil Barris | MLive File)

"It's just so flawed," he said about the package of bills.

"It would take honest law-abiding citizens and turn them automatically into criminals," he said. "It does nothing directly to stop the criminal element."

Despite his disdain for the bill package and its timing, just weeks before the Nov. 8 election, Horn said it doesn't mean any conversations about legislation involving guns is off the table.

"If someone wants to start a reasonable conversation outside of the normal election cycle, I think most people would be willing to listen," he said.

Bill sponsor Robert Wittenberg, D-Oak Park, said the package would restore common sense to firearms laws "and protect millions of Michiganders from gun violence."

Introduced in the House Wednesday, Oct. 19, the legislation would ban assault weapons, defined as a semiautomatic pistol or semiautomatic or pump-action rifle capable of accepting a detachable magazine, that has at least one feature including a pistol grip behind the trigger on a rifle, a shoulder stock on a pistol, a barrel shroud, a muzzle brake or compensator, or a protruding grip not held by the trigger hand.

The definition also includes a pistol capable of accepting a detachable magazine in a location outside of the pistol grip, a semiautomatic pistol or "center-fire rifle" with a fixed magazine that can carry more than 10 rounds of ammunition, and a shotgun with a revolving cylinder.

The bill would allow gun owners to continue owning assault weapons under certain restrictions, including allowing the Michigan State Police to do an annual inspection of the storage premises.

Read the proposed bill

A violation would be punishable by 4 years in prison, a $2,100 fine, or both.

National Rifle Association spokeswoman Amy Hunter said so-called assault weapons are rarely used in crime, and banning them in the past did not reduce crime or keep people safer.

A variety of rifles on display at a gun shop outside of Detroit. Several of the guns have features that would be regulated under the proposed bill, including a pistol grip behind the trigger on a rifle.

"These firearms are widely misunderstood by the general public," she said. "They are some of the most common rifles in America, used for competitive shooting, recreation, hunting and self-defense. Unfortunately, anti-gun lawmakers have politicized these firearms and tried to turn them into something they are not."

The NRA on its web site urged members to contact Michigan legislators to oppose the bill the day after it was introduced.

Horn said he's willing to talk about gun-related issues, but noted, "things are so divided right now, I'm not sure a reasonable conversation can be had."

"Let's create an environment where honest, law-abiding citizens don't have to look over their shoulder every damn time something happens, then we can talk," he said, noting that many constituents talk about the need to enforce existing laws and target criminals rather than creating new ones that impact legal owners.

To the people with a different viewpoint than his on gun control, Horn said, "When they can come to me and admit that gun control laws put on the books in places like Chicago aren't working and say, 'what can we do?' Then we can have a conversation."

About the current bill package, Horn said sponsors should have asked how law-abiding gun owners feel about the issues first. He said he sees nothing redeeming in the package.

"Every responsible gun owner is under assault by this particular bill," Horn said.

Linda Brundage, Executive Director of the Michigan Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence, said she supports efforts of the bill sponsors.

"The timing of the bill is to send a loud and clear message that we're not going away," she said, and believes there's public support for reform despite some gun reform bills sitting without much action after introduction.

She said opponents often argue about the definition of assault weapons, but she believes they are simply guns capable of shooting a lot of bullets in a short amount of time.

"I'm sure it's very good in Afghanistan...but we don't need it in Michigan," she said.

Emily Durbin, volunteer chapter leader with the Michigan chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, said the group understands the focus on assault weapons for some groups, and that they can make mass shootings more deadly.

However, she noted, "they are not used in the majority of mass shootings and are not often a part of the every day gun violence that kills 91 Americans and injures hundreds more each day."

She said the Michigan chapter of Moms Demand Action is focusing on policies that keep guns out of dangerous hands in the first place and keeping guns out of schools and off college campuses.

The bill was referred to the House committee on criminal justice.

Wittenbeg and co-sponsor of the assault weapon bill, Jim Townsend, D-Royal Oak, did not immediately respond to messages left seeking additional comments Thursday.