Local governments in Michigan wouldn’t be able to buy firearms off of their residents under legislation passed in the Michigan House Wednesday.

House Bill 5479, sponsored by Rep. Annette Glenn, R-Midland, would ban local governments and law enforcement from conducting gun buyback or takeback programs that offer residents compensation for their unwanted firearms. Local law enforcement would still be able to accept and dispose of firearms dropped off voluntarily.

Speaking in support of her bill on the House floor Wednesday, Glenn said it’s not the place of local governments to be buying firearms from residents - she said the buybacks unfairly compete with gun businesses and waste taxpayer dollars.

“While our state and federal constitution guarantees every citizen the right to keep and bear arms, no citizen has the right to sell old firearms to a unit of government at taxpayer expense,” she said.

The measure passed the House 58-49, with Rep. John Chirkun, D-Roseville, joining Republican lawmakers in support. It now heads to the Senate for further review and would need to pass the full Senate and be signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to become law.

House Democrats opposed the bill on grounds that it would interfere with efforts by local governments and law enforcement to keep their communities safe.

Rep. Tyrone Carter, D-Detroit - a retired law enforcement officer - said gun buybacks are a resource for police to help fight crime in many communities. And Rep. Alex Garza, D-Taylor, said the legislation aims to exert state control over decisions best left to local governments.

“To tell our local governments in many ways that we as state representatives and state senators know what’s best for their communities is simply not true,” said Garza, a former member of the Taylor City Council.

Several Michigan communities have hosted gun buyback events over the years, which are often marketed as a “no questions asked” way for people with illegal firearms to sell them without risking prosecution.

Firearms collected at buyback events are typically destroyed, although some departments in Michigan have reportedly looked into the history of the guns to see if firearms reported stolen can be returned to the owner.

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