Michigan House and Senate Democrats have announced companion legislation to restrict magazine capacity, ostensibly to “save lives in mass shootings,” according to the Detroit Free Press.
Led by State Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-Beverly Hills), the Democrat group announced Senate Bills 785 and 786, and House Bills 5627 and 5628, would prohibit selling or possessing a magazine capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition, beginning on January 1, 2023 if they are passed. The Senate versions are backed by Bayer and Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield). The House versions were introduced by State Reps. Brenda Carter (D-Pontiac) and Cynthia Johnson (D-Detroit.)
This isn’t Bayer’s first go-round at gun legislation. Earlier this year, she was interviewed by CivicCenterTV about Senate Bill 454, another gun control measure.
According to a news release from Bayer’s office, “Under the proposed bills, a person who violates this prohibition would be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by not more than 90 days in jail and/or a maximum fine of $500. A subsequent offense would be a felony, punishable by not more than 2 years in prison and/or a maximum fine of $5,000.”
The legislation also requires people who already own so-cvalled “high capacity magazines” to report those magazines to their local law enforcement agency, according to MLive.com. Several states have already enacted magazine capacity laws—Colorado, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maryland, Hawaii, California and Vermont, plus Washington D.C.—but there does not appear to be any substantial evidence that they have reduced homicides or somehow saved lives.
The Detroit Free Press noted in its report, “Sean Holihan, state legislative director at the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence, joined the news conference at the state Capitol in Lansing to show support for the legislation. Holihan noted that when U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords, who founded the center, was shot in Tucson, Arizona, in 2011, her attacker was tackled by a bystander while pausing to reload.”
The newspaper didn’t mention that 18 people were shot in that incident, including six who were fatally wounded. Killer Jared Lee Loughner was armed with a Glock 19 pistol and four magazines, including two 33-rounders. Investigators recovered 31 spent casings at that crime scene,
Accused high school gunman Ethan Crumbley is alleged to have used a 9mm Sig Sauer pistol with 15-round standard-capacity magazines in the attack that left four students dead and seven other people wounded. The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department recovered 30 spent shell casings and three magazines at Oxford High School following the shooting. Crumbley is being prosecuted as an adult and has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder along with seven counts of attempted first-degree murder, plus other crimes.
His parents, James and Jennifer Crumbley, have each been charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter. James purchased the pistol, which was portrayed by the suspect as an early Christmas present. The handgun was allegedly not securely stored in the Crumbley home, but left in an unlocked drawer in the parents’ bedroom.
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