Irwin Proposes Improving Safety in Public Buildings

April 13, 2021

We fully support Sen. Irwin’s efforts to give local officials the power to act for public safety, especially when our state officials consistently fail to act to protect the public from the scourge of gun violence.

LANSING, Mich. (April 7, 2021) — Today, Sen. Jeff Irwin (D-Ann Arbor) introduced a bill to restore local control over gun regulations on public property. This would allow cities, townships, and counties to adopt rules like those governing courthouses or schools.

Traditionally, local governments had the authority to enact firearm regulations in the interest of public safety, however that is currently not the case. Due to a change to the law in 1991, and according to the Giffords Law Center, Michigan is one of the states that limits local governments’ authority to maintain safety on their property.

“Local governments have the responsibility to maintain safety in their buildings, but the Legislature removed their ability to restrict firearms in city hall,” Sen Irwin said. “We already prohibit firearms in courthouses as well as many other places like stadiums or schools. My bill would allow cities, townships, and counties to make similar rules for their properties.”