LANSING, Mich. (AP) – A state panel banned the open carrying of weapons in the Michigan Capitol on Monday, a week after an armed mob rioted in the Capitol. and after a plot last year to storm the state house.
Moves to ban guns in the state house have been under pressure since April, when protesters opposed Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s COVID-19 Restrictions, some of which were armed with long guns and other weapons, forced their way into the Michigan Capitol and demanded admission to the floor of a legislative chamber closed to the public.
The Michigan State Capitol Commission, responsible for overseeing the Capitol, was reluctant to enact rules on firearms, but changed course on Monday, issuing an injunction to ban the open carrying of weapons.
A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, who previously said the committee should not be responsible for creating gun policies, said last week that he would support an open ban on porting after violence broke out in the Capitol by a crowd of supporters. from President Donald Trump.
A spokeswoman for upcoming House Speaker Jason Wentworth said he wants everyone to abide by the rule, even though he does not believe the committee had the right to issue it.
“The speaker is grateful for the work of the Capitol Commission, but she does not have the authority to make policy in the Capitol,” Lynn Afendoulis said in a press release. The speaker will look at options for addressing that in the future. In the meantime, Michigan State Police will enforce the new ruling. “
Commission Vice Chair John Truscott said the commission is not writing a policy but is prepared to address general security issues. He said the state government will have to fund it.
“We don’t have a budget for security measures, so in reality the governor and the legislature would have to deal with it,” Truscott said. “We have gone as far as we could with the budget constraints we have.”
Some of the anti-government extremists accused of plotting to kidnap Whitmer carried guns with him during the Capitol protests last spring. Prosecutors say the accused leader initially spoke of recruiting 200 men to storm the building, take hostages and “execute tyrants.” A secondary plan involved locking out exits and burning the state house, according to court documents.
The FBI has warned plans for armed protests in all state capitals and in Washington, DC, in the days leading up to the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Michigan State Police will increase its visible and invisible presence in the Capitol in the coming weeks, spokeswoman Shanon Banner said in an email Monday.
The Michigan Democratic Party has released a statement saying that while it applauds the fact that the commission has “finally exercised its authority,” it is not enough and that all firearms in the Capitol should be banned.
Senator Dayna Polehanki made an effort to ban all firearms from the Capitol by passing legislation last year that died in court. The Livonia Democrat said before the panel vote on Monday that an open ban on surrogates does not go far enough and will create a false sense of security for those who work at and visit the Capitol.
“Bullets are bullets,” she said, no matter what gun someone brings.
“There’s no reason a gun should be in the Capitol, it’s absurd, the world thinks it’s absurd,” said Polehanki. “It makes me sick that this is even considered a viable action.”
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Anna Liz Nichols is a corps member of the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a national nonprofit service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on hidden issues.
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Associated Press writer David Eggert contributed to this report.