LANSING (WKZO AM/FM) — State Senate Majority leader Arlen Meekhof has put a bill to allow guns into schools, churches, and bars on a fast track.
It passed out of committee on a 3 to 2 straight party vote Tuesday and could be voted on by the full senate Wednesday.
It comes just days after the massacre in Texas, prompting some to call the action tone deaf and insensitive, but Meekhof didn’t want to hear that Tuesday, saying that gunmen are preying on no gun zones because they know they won’t have resistance.
Testimony during the hearing was overwhelmingly opposed to the measure, which passed despite the protests.
What makes this bill different than the measure the governor vetoed 3-years ago is that this requires additional training. They were also working on opt-out amendments permitting schools to decide locally whether to allow qualified staff to arm themselves.
In this version, only CPL holders with an additional 8 hours of training will be allowed to take their guns into what are now considered Gun Free Zones.
It would face an uncertain future in the House, and could once again prove to be veto bait for the Governor, who says he won’t comment on the measure until he sees the final version.
