(Source: MIRS.news, Published 04/13/23) Two gun-rights groups claim in a new suit Thursday that the House and Senate leadership violated the Open Meetings Act by not giving them, and like-minded gun rights advocates, the ability to speak at public hearings against three-gun control bills.
Michigan Open Carry, Inc. and Great Lakes Gun Rights claim the Legislature is "purposely limiting or outright excluding" their ability to talk at committee meetings and "unquestionably favoring" the speech of those who support their political positions.
The two groups want the Court of Claims to issue a judicial declaration that the Legislature's alleged practice of limiting the speech of those critical to their position violates the Open Meetings Act.
House Democratic spokesperson Amber McCann said simply in response, “The House complies with the requirements of the Open Meetings Act.”
Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids) added, “We complied with the law and provided opportunities for people both for and against the bills to express their views. We won't allow this lawsuit to distract us from today's historic bill signing.”
As proof that this is not the case, the groups cite four House Judiciary Committee meetings and two Senate committees in which opponents to the proposal were given little opportunity to testify against the bills.
Tom Lambert of Michigan Open Carry was able to testify on March 22 in front of the House Judiciary Committee. Brendan Boudreau, representing the Great Lakes Gun Rights, asked to speak a few times but was unable to speak at any of the six hearings.
"The legislature is a place for debate and testimony, not a place for scripted theater. Imagine if there was a bill to limit racial profiling and only police unions were allowed to testify?" Lambert said.
On March 1, the House Judiciary Committee allowed 16 individuals representing 10 organizations to speak. All were in support of the bills. No one opposed to the bills was invited to speak. The minutes of the meeting appear to verify this and indicate that several individuals were not able to speak due to time constraints, including Lambert, Boudreau and Scott Jones of the National Rifle Association.
On March 2, at the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, 19 individuals representing 10 organizations were allowed to speak in support of the gun safety legislation. Two individuals representing one organization were permitted to testify against the bill with a two-or three-minute time limit.
"No such or similar direction was given to those testifying in support," reads the complaint.
Similar complaints were leveled against the two committees for meetings held on March 8, March 9, March 22 and April 13.
The Governor today signed two pieces of the legislation in question. One grouping of bills required background checks for all gun purchases. Another set required gun owners to lock up their firearms.
The House passed on Thursday a third set of bills that would allow a judge to take a firearm away from someone deemed to be a threat to themselves or others.
