LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — Attorney General Dana Nessel is issuing a formal opinion stating that the Michigan Capitol Commission can ban guns from Capitol grounds.
This comes after Nessel sent a letter to the Commission on Friday indicating that they have the authority to bar firearms at the Capitol; however, some commissioners publicly dismissed the letter saying it was not a formal opinion.
So the attorney general issued a formal opinion on Monday explaining that the Commission can regulate firearms within the areas under its control, which includes the inside of the Capitol building.
In a written statement released Monday morning Nessel stated, “I firmly believe in the right to protest, the right to demonstrate, and the right to loudly and strongly object to those causes that move us. These rights are so fundamental to our democracy that they are enshrined in the First Amendment of our Constitution. But it is also important to remember that the right to protest does not encompass the right to violence, or the right to harm those individuals with whom you disagree.”
Democratic lawmakers have been pushing to have weapons banned after the latest protests at the Capitol over the governor’s stay at home order.
Nessel stated that she was “deeply troubled” by the images of crowds flooding the Capitol, some armed with assault rifles.
“Members of our Legislature should not have to wear bulletproof vests or be escorted by armed guards in order to serve the People of this State,” Nessel said. She adds that the regulation of firearms generally stems from state statute, but the prohibition of firearms from public spaces does not need to originate from the Legislature.
The Capitol Commission is expected to vote on the possible ban at 11 a.m. Monday.
