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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan Senate Democrats advance bump stock ban, ghost gun serialization bills from committee
Attendees cheer at a gun safety rally at the state Capitol Building on April 22, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Several firearm safety and control bills addressing a ban on bump stocks, serializing ghost guns and codifying the Michigan Capitol's concealed and open carry ban into law were advanced to the Michigan Senate on Thursday. The bills were moved forward by the Senate Judiciary Committee following additional testimony on the reintroduced package – but not before the panel heard emotional testimony from gun violence prevention and safety advocates and gun rights groups, the latter of whom opposed the bills. Senate Bill 224 would ban bump stocks, devices that let users essentially convert their semi-automatic weapons into rapid firing weapons. A bump stock was one of the primary tools used in the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting, the deadliest in American history. The U.S. Supreme Court in 2024 struck down federal rules created after the shooting that defined a semi-automatic weapon equipped with a bump stock as an automatic weapon, which was already banned under law. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The federal high court's decision, however, has not deterred Michigan Democrats from seeking ways to ban them at the state level. Michigan would join 17 others in adopting a similar policy. Sponsored by Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia), Senate Bill 224 would add bump stocks to a list of disallowed firearms equipment in Michigan. 'Destructive weapons of war should never have a place in our communities, yet devices that allow individuals to convert a rifle into a functioning machine gun remain legal in our state,' Polehanki said. 'And let me be clear: these are not tools for sport or self-defense. Bump stocks are used to inflict maximum harm in seconds, and their continued availability puts every one of our communities at risk. That's unacceptable, and it's time for a change.' Senate Bills 331 and 332, both sponsored by Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak), would prohibit the purchase, possession and distribution of firearms without valid serial numbers, which are commonly referred as ghost guns because they are untraceable in federal and state firearms registries. McMorrow's bill would make a first offense a misdemeanor with a penalty up to a $5,000 fine and one year in prison. Successive offenses would be considered felonies with up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. A member of McMorrow's staff delivered testimony on Thursday, but in a statement issued following the committee hearing, the senator said ghost guns were designed to deliberately evade accountability, requiring no background checks, no serial numbers and no way to trace them if used to commit a crime. 'As we see law enforcement officers recovering these untraceable firearms at an alarming rate, Michigan can't afford to wait,' McMorrow said. 'Just as rapidly as new weapon production methods emerge and evolve, so too must our laws and public safety efforts. Our communities deserve nothing less.' Polenaki also sponsored Senate Bills 225 and 226 along with Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-West Bloomfield). The bills would make the Michigan Capitol Commission's open and concealed carry bans law, and would also apply to the Anderson House Office Building and the Binsfeld Senate Office Building. At least 26 other states have a similar ban in place to maintain the safety of their Capitol grounds. Bayer during testimony on Thursday recounted the fear she felt when armed protesters stormed Michigan's Capitol and remained in the Senate chamber's gallery, which several senators said made them feel intimidated as they voted on important legislation. 'Those types of threats and intimidation have no place in any work environment, especially not one where the work of the people is being done,' Bayer said. 'Every day, we have students and teachers, parents and public servants walk the halls of our Capitol. It's our responsibility to make sure they feel safe doing so, and this legislation will help ensure all people feel safe freely participating in our state's democracy.' Members of Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action and various other gun safety groups, like Brady and Giffords, testified Thursday in support of the measures, hoping they would keep firearms out of the Capitol and keep ghost guns and bump stocks out of the hands of future mass shooters. Linda Danders with Moms Demand Action said from the very first time armed extremists showed up at the Capitol to intimidate lawmakers, her group knew there was a real and imminent threat to the safety of Michiganders and the state's democracy. 'That's why we've been urging Michigan lawmakers to prohibit guns in the Capitol,' Danders said. 'Thanks to the efforts of many in this room, open carry of firearms in the Capitol Building is now prohibited, but there is still a dangerous loophole left for individuals to carry concealed, loaded handguns into and on Capitol grounds, including in this building.' Tom Lambert, legislative director for Michigan Open Carry, said he was opposed to the package, calling it another episode in the continuing series of 'people who hate guns, don't know what they're talking about and they don't care,' referring to Senate Democrats' push for greater gun control. 'You have serious Second Amendment issues, you also have serious Fifth Amendment issues. Not only are you taking lawfully possessed property that people acquire lawfully and possess lawfully today and you're prohibiting it, you're in the alternative requiring them to deface these items that, again, lawfully, do not have a serial number on them,' Lambert said of the ghost guns bill. 'If you put one of these federally regulated serial numbers on them, you will decrease the value of those items, some of which are worth a significant amount, which constitutes a Fifth Amendment taking.' Lambert insinuated that could lead to legal consequences for the state that could cost a lot. 'I hope we put [that] in the budget to pay for all that stuff,' he said. In response to emotional testimony from a student, Sen. Sue Shink (D-Northland Township) said no young person should have to worry about the threat of gun violence. 'Quite frankly, at my age, it's not something I should have to worry about either,' Shink said. 'And I'll just tell you, and also so that the people who are from those gun organizations know that, yeah, it's scary to know that they're out there pushing violence and pushing fear on people who just want to live in peace, who just want to be left alone to pursue their life, liberty and happiness. It's bullshit. You shouldn't have to put up with it.'
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
Michigan leaders call attention to the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous people
March for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples in Grand Rapids, Michigan on May 3, 2024. (Photo: Anna Liz Nichols) Monday is Murdered and Missing Indigenous Persons Day and Michigan leaders and agencies are calling for awareness for the crisis of Indigenous communities being disproportionately affected by violence and their cases being historically overlooked. The Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates that around 4,200 missing and murdered Indigenous peoples cases are currently unsolved as law enforcement agencies are not responding effectively or urgently to violence faced by the indigenous and culturally competent resources are scarce. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX And while Michigan made strides last legislative session to expand funding for resources for indigenous violence victims and connecting indigenous stakeholders to lawmakers, leaders in Michigan must holdfast to the commitment to end the crisis of violence, Melissa Pope, chief judge of the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi Tribal Court, chief justice of the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians Tribal Court and member of the Michigan Domestic and Sexual Violence Prevention and Treatment Board said in a statement on Friday. 'In addition to the full enactment of the laws addressing this crisis, we must commit the resources necessary for immediate and ongoing searches when Indigenous People go missing until they are found,' Pope said. 'We must also commit the resources to provide safety to victims while offering culturally honoring services to heal the trauma of survivors, support the families of the missing, and honor those who have been murdered while supporting the loved ones whose lives will be forever changed. Of crucial importance is the prosecution of those who murder and commit violence against Indigenous People. It is only through these combined efforts that Indigenous People will be safe from violence.' The majority of indigenous people will experience violence in their life, with the National Institute of Justice reporting that 83% of men and women in the community will experience violence in their lifetime, a rate 52% higher than the general population. And women and girls are almost twice as likely to experience sexual violence than their white, non-Hispanic counterparts. Michigan is home to 12 federally recognized tribes and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer posted a video on 'X' Monday calling violence against indigenous Michiganders unacceptable, and applauding the Michigan Attorney General's Office for creating a Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Task Force late last year to investigate long-overlooked cases. 'We all need to do more to raise awareness and pursue justice. Since taking office, I've been committed to working closely with tribal governments so we can address historic traumas and develop specific policies and protocols to investigate and reduce all incidents of violence against indigenous women and girls,' Whitmer said. 'The bottom line is, no one should live in fear, and every victim deserves justice. But let's keep working together to make it happen.' In recognizing May 5 as Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) Awareness Day, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) addressed violence against Indigenous Michiganders in a news release as a 'crisis' that the department is urgently addressing. In the interest of raising awareness and honoring the lives that have been lost in Michigan, the state health department is calling attention to the Division of Victim Services (DVS) which provides grant funding to Michigan tribes to address sexual violence, domestic violence and other victim services in a culturally honoring manner. Elizabeth Hertel, Director of the state health department, in a news release said the state health department is not simply committed to raising awareness, but partnering with tribal communities to best address violence and the impact it has on the entire community.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawsuit alleges former University of Michigan employees were fired for participating in protests
Pro-Palestinian protestors gather on University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus on March 14, 2025 to call for the release of Columbia University organizer Mahmoud Khalil | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Former employees of the University of Michigan are suing the leadership of the school, alleging that their employment was terminated after they engaged in pro-Palestinian protests on campus. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Detroit by the Sugar Law Center and American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, asserts the university's actions are in violation with the employees' constitutional rights of freedom of speech, petition and assembly. The university attributed all firings and blacklisting to violations of the school's policies on community violence, but the lawsuit states neither the seven student employees nor the full-time employee who faced repercussions for their participation in protests on campus enacted any sort of violence and complied with police instructions during the events. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Civic engagement has long been a hallmark of the university community, the lawsuit states, noting University of Michigan students throughout history have protested for different causes on campus including demanding an end to the Vietnam War. But as members of the university community hold protests demanding the university divest from companies tied to Israel's war in Gaza, the lawsuit states that since the deadly October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, the university has completely changed its response to protest activity on campus. 'Since October 7, 2023, the University has solely targeted, discriminated against, and punished students for engaging in speech and protest activity in support of Palestine and calling for the University to divest from Israel as a means of pressuring Israel to cease human rights violations against the Palestinian people, including crimes against humanity and genocide,' the lawsuit says. The lawsuit notes that divestment is a reasonable effort for protesters to pursue as the university has divested before, including divesting from tobacco companies in 2000, South Africa in the 1970's and 80's and Russia in 2022. The lawsuit further notes that never before has peaceful participation in protests on the university's Ann Arbor campus resulted in termination or permanent ineligibility for rehire, as it has for these employees. University of Michigan spokesperson Kay Jarvis said, 'the university does not comment on litigation' in response to Michigan Advance's request for comment on the lawsuit. The protests at the heart of the lawsuit are a November 17, 2023 sit-in protest outside the university president's office and a May 3, 2024 protest outside of the University of Michigan Museum of Art. During the May 2024 protest, the lawsuit said protestors stood outside the art museum while several of the university's regents were inside the building for a private event. Protestors linked arms and chanted and moved back to continue their protest after university police set up a barrier around the entrance of the art museum. Months later, five university employees who participated in the protest were sent correspondence informing them that their employment was terminated and they were permanently not eligible for rehire for violating the university policies against community violence. Four of the individuals who were fired months after the protest were not employees of the university when the protest was held, according to the lawsuit, which added that all the former employees who participated in the November 2023 and May 2024 protests participated in their own personal time. During the November 2023 protest, the lawsuit says one particular student, Zaynab Elkolaly, attempted to join the sit-in protest outside the university president's office, entering the Ruthvan Building, when she became caught between a crowd trying to enter the building and police officers at the entrance. 'While turned away from the entrance to leave and with her back to the police, she was grabbed from behind and thrown to the ground by a University of Michigan police officer. While being thrown to the ground, her hijab was ripped off,' the lawsuit says. Months later, after Elkolaly had graduated and was no longer an employee at the university, but was planning on applying for work at the school, she received a letter from the university saying she was ineligible for rehire due to violating the school's policies against violence. 'Each of the Plaintiffs was a dedicated University employee who took their job duties seriously, conducted exemplary work, and performed necessary services for the University,' the lawsuit states, adding that the processes the university enacted to terminate employment or bar future employment for the former employees robbed them of due process to combat retaliation by the university for their civic engagement. The lawsuit seeks to force the university to repeal actions it took against the plaintiffs' employment statuses, recover damages from loss of employment and any other relief that would be considered just in this scenario.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Michigan moms call attention to threats to Medicaid and health care during annual ‘Mama's March'
Moms and their kids line up for a picture on the Michigan State Capitol Building steps after the annual "Mama's March" on April 30, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Waving back at her young daughters in the crowd, Lansing-area birth and postpartum doula Kendra Smith told attendees of the annual 'Mama's March' outside the Michigan State Capitol Wednesday that in order to promote healthy families, Medicaid and systems of support need to be preserved. There's a lot of concern from different advocacy and service groups at the moment as Republicans in Congress have floated proposals for cutting hundreds of billions of dollars to Medicaid which funds services and care for individuals who have low incomes or disabilities. Medicaid is not a line item easily crossed out without grave repercussions, Smith said. Medicaid often means the difference between a mother going to a postpartum check-up appointment to determine if she needs medical attention, or not going to that check-up appointment, Smith said, adding that those appointments provide access to prenatal vitamins, lactation support and birth in a hospital. 'For Black and brown moms who are already navigating higher risk and barriers, Medicaid often makes the difference between life and death, and that's not hyperbole. That's reality,' Smith said. National data reflects that Black women are more than twice as likely to die from pregancy-related causes than their white counterparts and Michigan state data reflects the same reality where Black mothers were nearly three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as white mothers. In order to comply with the spending plans and priorities of President Donald Trump's administration, the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, which regulates Medicaid amongst other governernment programs, is currently looking at how to save $880 billion, with Medicaid on the chopping block. For the last decade, typically more than 40% of births in Michigan have been funded, at least in-part, through Medicaid programs, according to reporting from the Michigan League for Public Policy. Medicaid provides care to those most vulnerable in Michigan, who might not have access to quality housing, nutrition or prenatal or postnatal educational resources, Smith said. Attendees listen to speakers at the annual "Mama's March" outside the Michigan Capitol Building on April 30, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Attendees listen to speakers at the annual "Mama's March" outside the Michigan Capitol Building on April 30, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Bridget Leonard, a Michigan-based nurse, speaks at the annual "Mama's March" outside the Michigan Capitol Building on April 30, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Moms and their kids line up for a picture on the Michigan State Capitol Building steps after the annual "Mama's March" on April 30, 2025 | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols 'So when that funding is cut, we're not pulling access, we're pulling care from the very families that need it most. We're making it harder to close the gap and easier for preventable tragedies to continue,' Smith said. 'I'm asking you to stay loud, call your lawmakers, share your stories and fight for your families, because every parent deserves to be helped. Every child deserves to be born into a system that's ready to care for them, not cut them loose.' As the approximately 100 attendees headed off to seek out state lawmakers to urge preservation of Medicaid-funded services, Aisha Wells, deputy director of organizing for Mothering Justice, which sponsored the rally, told the Michigan Advance that she hopes state lawmakers in the predominately white Legislature remember their districts all have moms and people of color and residents who rely on Medicaid. As the mother of a teenage son and baby boy, Wells said she remembers not being listened to as a Black woman during her first pregnancy, dealing with doctors who shut down her concerns, but later determined her oldest son had obstructive congenital hydrocephalus which impacts the brain. And though mothers of color in the Michigan state Legislature like Sen. Erika Geiss (D-Taylor) and Sen. Stephanie Chang (D-Detroit) are leading the charge in combating adverse health outcomes for moms of color, Wells said, all lawmakers should be fighting to preserve health care for families in their district. 'Everybody in your community is important. They matter. If one of us is being harmed, we're all being harmed,' Wells said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Michigan lawmakers hear bills to ban sanctuary cities, cut social welfare services for noncitizens
Lisa Hile of the Rural Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party speaks to the Michigan state House Government Operations Committee on April 24, 2025 to testify against legislation to ban sanctuary cities and limit social services to those of legal citizen status. | Photo: Anna Liz Nichols Republican lawmakers in Michigan are advancing legislation to ban sanctuary cities and counties that shield noncitizen residents from federal immigration enforcement, as well as bills barring those residents from receiving social welfare services. As bill sponsors in the Michigan House Government Operations Committee argued Thursday that sanctuary statuses threaten public safety and social welfare and housing funds should go towards only legal citizens, immigration stakeholders argued the proposals are dehumanizing and destructive. All of the bills presented Thursday cleared the Republican-controlled committee without support from the two Democratic members, though the bills would not likely gain enough support in the Democratic-led state Senate to make it to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, also a Democrat, to be signed into law. Bills the committee heard testimony for, House Bills 4338 and 4339, would ban local governments and counties from creating or enforcing sanctuary city or county policies, ordinances or laws. Municipalities with existing sanctuary city policies would have 60 days after the bill goes into effect to remove the policy. Additionally, Rep. James DeSana (R-Carleton) is sponsoring House Bill 4342 to penalize any municipality that doesn't cut its sanctuary policies by withholding state revenue sharing dollars, which fund local police and fire departments, as well as road repairs and sewage systems. 'My goal in speaking here today is to stress how reckless sanctuary policies are and how they shield criminals and put them before Michigan residents who want to raise their families in safe communities,' DeSana said. 'Communities that choose to ignore our federal immigration laws are putting lives at risk and it's time we hold them accountable.' Official sanctuary cities are nearly non-existent in Michigan, with some cities like Lansing operating as unofficial sanctuary municipalities, instructing law enforcement not to inquire about a person's immigration status unless necessary. Some municipalities like Detroit and Bay City have adopted 'welcoming' statuses to welcome individuals of all immigration statuses. Amongst the organizations that wrote in their opposition to the bills was the Michigan Sheriffs' Association. With the strains that are already on public safety agencies, Yvonne Navarrete, policy director for We the People Michigan, said the last thing they should be prioritizing is dedicating any time or resources to complying or helping federal immigration officials. And with individuals already being detained and deported without due process under President Donald Trump's administration, further opening the door to federal agents will only further weaken the systems of justice in the U.S., Navarrette said. 'I'm begging for competence…You can't even define what a sanctuary policy is,' Navarrete said. 'All I'm asking is that if you are so bold enough to take my public tax dollars and be a policy maker, at least be competent and write coherent policies that are efficient, that don't waste our public tax dollars and actually do the thing you want them to do.' Other bills the committee considered were House Bills 4340 and 4341, which would amend Michigan's Social Welfare Act and State Housing Development Authority Act to prohibit non U.S. citizens from receiving services or grants provided under those acts. Downriver Reps. Rylee Linting (R-Grosse Ile) and Jamie Thompson (R-Brownstown), who are sponsoring the bills, asserted that these policies would allow limited state services to go to 'lawful citizens' who are struggling. There is a lot of suffering in Michigan, Rep. John Fitzgerald (D-Wyoming) said, from food insecurity, homelessness and in general, barriers to family prosperity. However, the bills before the committee appear to leave the most vulnerable individuals in the state left out of life-saving services, Fitzgerald said, asking if noncitizens who are survivors of domestic violence or children who have experienced violence would still be allowed access. 'They would absolutely be eligible for services if they are legal Americans, if they came here legally,' Thompson said, offering her concern for the people in her district that can't find affordable housing amidst Michigan's housing crisis. 'It is important that we prioritize those who are here legally and are actually American citizens before we move on to anything else,' Linting said. 'These bills are showing compassion to… the veterans living on the streets who served our country, families that are struggling, and ultimately, it is a slap in the face to immigrants who have come here legally, waited in line and now they are struggling and need help, for us to put someone here illegally, to put them ahead of them.' There's a presumption that Michigan's noncitizen community doesn't contribute to the state's economy, Lisa Hile of the Rural Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party said. But immigrants are the backbone of Michigan's agricultural industry, a top industry in the state, Hile said, and beyond that, they are valued members of communities all over Michigan. 'They're not taking anything from you,' Hile said. 'You're turning people on each other for absolutely no reason whatsoever. I'm tired. You're… trying to get people to believe there's problems that's not here.' A 2024 study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy estimated that undocumented immigrants in Michigan contributed more than $290 million in state and local taxes in 2022.
