LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Jonathan Lindsey, R-Allen, issued the following statement after extreme, partisan gun reforms were put to a vote Thursday afternoon:
“These anti-gun and anti-American bills will continue to erode constitutional freedoms. Democrats have given themselves an opportunity to pat themselves on the back, while law abiding citizens once again have their Second Amendment rights trampled by the government.
“In the early days of our nation, states had laws requiring citizens to carry firearms to church in order to protect their families and community members. It’s an unfortunate day, and a far cry from our nation’s founding values, when the government is advocating against personal security and actively limiting one’s God-given right to defend themselves and their family.
“The proposed legislation is nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt to disarm Michiganders and leave them vulnerable to criminals. The safe-storage and red flag law bills are especially troublesome. These extreme pieces of legislation directly impact one’s ability to defend themselves, while the other specifically includes language that allows an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend or ex-spouse to initiate ‘red flag’ concerns against an individual. What could possibly go wrong with that?
“We had an opportunity to address the root causes of violence in our society, such as mental health issues, poverty, and lack of opportunity. We had an opportunity to hold criminals accountable when they break the law and strengthen penalties for particularly egregious crimes such as mass shootings.
“Democratic leadership instead chose to attack the rights of law-abiding citizens. Michigan residents deserve solutions, not these bills that are only effective in a press release.
“I want to be clear that I am standing firm against the latest wave of anti-gun legislation being forced through by legislative Democrats, and will continue to do everything I can to protect our constitutional rights.”
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