Mike Kelly
October 15, 2007, 10:35 PM
Below is a copy and paste job of an NRA alert regarding HB 4490. HB 4490 would get rid of the so-called safety inspection requirement for the purchase of new handguns.
Right now, there is no uniform method for 'safety inspections'. My favorite firearms rights organization, SAFR, (www.firearmsalliance.org) collected reports from gun purchasers across Michigan and learned what has been going on.
In one city, the gun buyer brought a valuable collectors piece into the local PD for the safety inspection. He was told to leave it over night. He came back the next day to discover that someone had fired his gun and scratched the finish on a couple of places. Aside from the fact this was unauthorized use of his personal property, it was a collectors item valued in the thousands of dollars. Imagine someone writing a phone number on the back of your Honus Wagner baseball card.
Another city had the gun owner hold the pistol up to the bullet proof glass and show it to the cop doing the inspection. The cop never looked at or touched the gun and merely recorded the serial number.
Other cities have made it hard for people to bring their guns in. They will only accept guns for safety inspections during certain hours making it difficult for people to get the inspections done. It's claimed that manpower is the reason. However, you can go to the same police departments and get accident reports all day long. The Michigan Attorney General issued a ruling that said police departments have to provide safety inspections during business hours the same as any other service. Quite a few police departments have thumbed their noses at this ruling and continue to do business that way.
The Safety Inspections the the police are supposed to conduct on your newly purchased handgun are not really safety inspections. None of the police officers involved are qualified to decide if a gun is safe or not.
Everyone has to pass a background check before purchasing a gun. If you cannot pass the check at the point of sale, you cannot buy the gun.
What's really going on is that these inspections are rooted in the past when the KKK controlled Michigan politics. The only thing the police wanted to see was that a "safe" person, i.e. WASP, was buying the gun. True, they aren't really "inspecting" guns for these reasons now, but since they are not actually determining if the pistol is safe, then why should we have to bother putting up with this?
Please contact your local representative and urge them to vote to pass this bill.
The text of this bill can be found here. http://tinyurl.com/2dwp8y
Please go read it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=3256
Important Michigan Pro-Gun Bill to be Heard Soon!
Friday, October 12, 2007
State Representative Paul Opsommer (R-93) has introduced legislation that seeks to repeal the required "safety inspection" for newly obtained handguns. House Bill 4490 would also require law enforcement agencies to destroy safety inspection records on file. Current Michigan law requires anyone who comes into possession of a pistol to take it to the police or sheriff’s department for a safety inspection. The requirement of a safety inspection is a burdensome waste of time for law-abiding gun owners and HB4490 will end that inconvenience.
HB4490 is expected to receive a hearing in the House Committee on Tourism, Outdoor Recreation, and Natural Resources soon. Please contact the members of the Committee and respectfully urge them to support passage of HB4490.
State Representative Joel Sheltrown (D-103), Committee Chair
(517) 373-3817
joelsheltrown@house.mi.gov
State Representative Kate Ebli (D-56), Majority Vice-Chair
(517) 373-2617
KateEbli@house.mi.gov
State Representative Tom Casperson (R-108), Minority Vice-Chair
(517) 373-0156
tomcasperson@house.mi.gov
State Representative Terry Brown (D-84)
(517) 373-0476
terrybrown@house.mi.gov
State Representative Ted Hammon (D-50)
(517) 373-3906
tedhammon@house.mi.gov
State Representative Kenneth Horn (R-94)
(517) 373-0837
kennethhorn@house.mi.gov
State Representative Kathleen Law (D-23)
(517) 373-0855
kathleenlaw@house.mi.gov
State Representative Steven Lindberg (D-109)
(517) 373-0498
stevenlindberg@house.mi.gov
State Representative Mike Simpson (D-65)
(517) 373-1775
mikesimpson@house.mi.gov
State Representative John Stakoe (R-44)
(517) 373-2616
johnstakoe@house.mi.gov
State Representative Howard Walker (R-104)
(517) 373-1766
howardwalker@house.mi.gov
Right now, there is no uniform method for 'safety inspections'. My favorite firearms rights organization, SAFR, (www.firearmsalliance.org) collected reports from gun purchasers across Michigan and learned what has been going on.
In one city, the gun buyer brought a valuable collectors piece into the local PD for the safety inspection. He was told to leave it over night. He came back the next day to discover that someone had fired his gun and scratched the finish on a couple of places. Aside from the fact this was unauthorized use of his personal property, it was a collectors item valued in the thousands of dollars. Imagine someone writing a phone number on the back of your Honus Wagner baseball card.
Another city had the gun owner hold the pistol up to the bullet proof glass and show it to the cop doing the inspection. The cop never looked at or touched the gun and merely recorded the serial number.
Other cities have made it hard for people to bring their guns in. They will only accept guns for safety inspections during certain hours making it difficult for people to get the inspections done. It's claimed that manpower is the reason. However, you can go to the same police departments and get accident reports all day long. The Michigan Attorney General issued a ruling that said police departments have to provide safety inspections during business hours the same as any other service. Quite a few police departments have thumbed their noses at this ruling and continue to do business that way.
The Safety Inspections the the police are supposed to conduct on your newly purchased handgun are not really safety inspections. None of the police officers involved are qualified to decide if a gun is safe or not.
Everyone has to pass a background check before purchasing a gun. If you cannot pass the check at the point of sale, you cannot buy the gun.
What's really going on is that these inspections are rooted in the past when the KKK controlled Michigan politics. The only thing the police wanted to see was that a "safe" person, i.e. WASP, was buying the gun. True, they aren't really "inspecting" guns for these reasons now, but since they are not actually determining if the pistol is safe, then why should we have to bother putting up with this?
Please contact your local representative and urge them to vote to pass this bill.
The text of this bill can be found here. http://tinyurl.com/2dwp8y
Please go read it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=3256
Important Michigan Pro-Gun Bill to be Heard Soon!
Friday, October 12, 2007
State Representative Paul Opsommer (R-93) has introduced legislation that seeks to repeal the required "safety inspection" for newly obtained handguns. House Bill 4490 would also require law enforcement agencies to destroy safety inspection records on file. Current Michigan law requires anyone who comes into possession of a pistol to take it to the police or sheriff’s department for a safety inspection. The requirement of a safety inspection is a burdensome waste of time for law-abiding gun owners and HB4490 will end that inconvenience.
HB4490 is expected to receive a hearing in the House Committee on Tourism, Outdoor Recreation, and Natural Resources soon. Please contact the members of the Committee and respectfully urge them to support passage of HB4490.
State Representative Joel Sheltrown (D-103), Committee Chair
(517) 373-3817
joelsheltrown@house.mi.gov
State Representative Kate Ebli (D-56), Majority Vice-Chair
(517) 373-2617
KateEbli@house.mi.gov
State Representative Tom Casperson (R-108), Minority Vice-Chair
(517) 373-0156
tomcasperson@house.mi.gov
State Representative Terry Brown (D-84)
(517) 373-0476
terrybrown@house.mi.gov
State Representative Ted Hammon (D-50)
(517) 373-3906
tedhammon@house.mi.gov
State Representative Kenneth Horn (R-94)
(517) 373-0837
kennethhorn@house.mi.gov
State Representative Kathleen Law (D-23)
(517) 373-0855
kathleenlaw@house.mi.gov
State Representative Steven Lindberg (D-109)
(517) 373-0498
stevenlindberg@house.mi.gov
State Representative Mike Simpson (D-65)
(517) 373-1775
mikesimpson@house.mi.gov
State Representative John Stakoe (R-44)
(517) 373-2616
johnstakoe@house.mi.gov
State Representative Howard Walker (R-104)
(517) 373-1766
howardwalker@house.mi.gov
