(Source: MIRS.news, Published 03/08/2023) Background checks and a license would be required for anyone buying a firearm -- pistol or long gun -- under legislation that serves as the first of several gun violence-response bills expected this session.
Rep. Jaime Churches (D-Wyandotte)' HB 4138 expands the universe of those who need to register their newly obtained gun to anyone who didn't receive it as a gift from a family member. Currently, only those buying pistols need to register their guns.
The idea is that the deranged folks who seek to randomly shoot people will be deterred from buying any weapon if they have to go through a background check first.
Under a substitute version, the bill would not be applied retroactively, so anyone who bought or obtained their gun prior to the law wouldn't have to register it.
The expanded regulation was trumpeted by Churches, a former school teacher, who decried the modern-day realities that school children need to go through active shooter drills in response to the nation's rising numbers of mass shootings.
"This bill for universal background checks is a step toward the culture shift we need to make happen," Churches said. "If we can stop even a tiny amount of gun violence in our state, in our neighborhoods, we must take the steps. This is one of them . . . We must all stand up against gun violence."
The bill passed along a strict, 56-53 party-line vote Wednesday evening as Republicans stood up against a bill they felt would only create more hassle and cost for responsible gun owners while doing nothing to stop law-breakers from shooting people.
"This bill is not about reducing gun violence and, by the way, it won't," said Rep. Angela Rigas (R-Alto). "It's about stripping Michigan residents of their rights and their privacy by creating a statewide registry of every lawful gunowner in Michigan."
Two other companion bills -- HB 4142 and HB 4143 -- also passed on the same party-line vote, 56-53.
The three bills emerged from the House Judiciary Committee a few hours prior after a hearing featuring Krista Grettenberger, the mother of Michigan State University shooting survivor Troy Forbush.
"My beautiful 21-year-old son called right after being shot to tell me that he loved me," Grettenberger said. "He didn't want me to hear it from the police, the news or the hospital. After he said those words, I no longer heard his voice. He did not answer when I screamed his name. I was helpless."
She said she stayed on the line to hear the voices of "frantic, scared young adults" working together to secure the classroom and attend the wounded.
She said she found out later that Forbush had urged shooter Anthony McRae not to shoot him before taking a bullet through his lung. When McRae had left, one classmate took off his shirt and pressed it against Forbush's chest to slow the bleeding. Other classmates were using belts and other clothing to help the wounded.
It's not clear if the handguns McRae used in the shooting would have been impacted by the new legislation.
However, Grettenberg called for the passage of gun violence legislation.
"Do not let anything stand in the way of our safety," she said. "You could save your own child's life. You could save your grandchild's life. You have all our lives in your hands, including yourself."
After hearing the testimony, Rep. Andrew Fink (R-Osseo) said he has nothing but sympathy for Grettenberger. As a father of five, he said he understands the love a parent has for their child is "limitless."
However, her testimony isn't the only factor he considers when passing a bill and he said he wasn't convinced that the bill would have prevented the MSU shooting or any other potential future shooting.
