Michigan: Few problems cited with concealed gun law

South Bend Tribune
November 23, 2003
By ROBERT A. REED

Berrien County Sheriff Paul Bailey said he's pleased with a recent Michigan State Police report that shows almost no problems that can be attributed to the state's 2-year-old "shall issue" concealed pistol license law.

"I supported the law and I'm very pleased with how it's gone," Bailey said. "I thought the controversy was a lot of fuss over nothing. I looked at the other states that had shall-issue and saw how few problems they had."

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Public Act 381, which took effect on July 1, 2001, stripped local gun boards of their absolute authority over who would, and wouldn't, be issued a permit to carry a gun.

Previously, applicants would often either be denied a concealed pistol license or issued a license with severe restrictions on when and where a gun could be carried. Instead, the burden of proof now falls on the state's 83 county gun boards to show why an otherwise qualified applicant shouldn't be allowed to carry a concealed pistol.

The act for the first time also established minimum age and firearms training standards for applicants.

Under the act, gun boards "shall issue" licenses to applicants who are at least 21 years old and who have completed an eight-hour firearms safety course.

Applicants can be denied if they have been convicted of a felony or certain misdemeanors, been dishonorably discharged from the military, found to be mentally incompetent or can be shown to be a danger to themselves or others.

Sgt. Greg Zarotnev, of the Michigan State Police Executive Division, said that as of Oct. 21, 103,827 people are licensed to carry concealed handguns in Michigan. This includes 89,550 licenses issued since the law changed and 14,277 licenses issued under the old law that have not yet expired.

There were 53,000 licenses were issued from July 1, 2001, to June 30, 2002, the first full year of the law, and 27,499 licenses in the second full year, from July 1, 2002, to June 30.

The report also tracks problems among license holders.

During the 2002-2003 reporting period, statewide, there were 514 applications denied and 52 licenses revoked for offenses ranging from having an expired license plate (one revocation) to open murder (one revocation).

This compares to the first year reporting period, 2001 to 2002, when there were 830 licenses denied and 55 licenses revoked. The 107 revocations for the two years means that one-10th of 1 percent of the 90,499 permits issued from July 1, 2001, to June 30 were revoked.

"The annual report kind of speaks for itself," Zarotnev said. "It doesn't seem like there's a specific problem out there."

"The people getting concealed pistol licenses are very responsible and we haven't had any significant problems here," Bailey said.

Jim Kliemann, chapter chairman for Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph and Van Buren counties for the Lansing-based Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners, said the number of licenses issued across the state is a reflection of the importance many people place on their gun rights and their ability to defend themselves.

"I think it says something that there are over 103,000 of us across the state who took the time and training and made the effort to get a concealed pistol license."

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