LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — In the United States Capitol, lawmakers who carry a concealed weapon permit may walk around gun-detecting devices, while everybody else has to pass through them.
The same thing is about to happen in Lansing, where the State Capitol Commission Wednesday reversed itself and voted 4-2 to permit lawmakers with hidden weapons to enter the building along with police officers, the FBI and some maintenance workers.
State Senator Michele Hoitenga (R-Manton) was prepared to ask the courts to block the commission from installing a ban, and now she is pleased with the flip-flop.
“I won’t complain. I will be very pleased if they turn their decision around to allow us to carry,” said Hoitenga, a concealed weapon owner.
Two of the commissioners voted to keep the ban, suggesting since there are 148 lawmakers, theoretically all of them could have guns on the House and Senate floors, and that’s not good.
The actual number of legislators who carry heat to work is unknown, but the estimate is between 20-30 on any given day.
The new weapons detectors are in place for the opening of the fall session, just after Labor Day, for school kids, other tourists and the general public to pass through.
But, the senator contends, the new policy is unfair because it gives lawmakers special treatment.
“I do have a little bit of an issue where legislators get special treatment and the people I serve won’t be able to have self-protection,” Hoitenga said.
There is a serious disagreement among lawmakers, as some feel the presence of guns makes the House and Senate floors safer, while others think it’s more dangerous.
