GOP Governor Snyder Vetoes Gun Rights in Michigan
(This article started out as a series of emails between Alex and other pro-gun Democrats a number of years ago.
Because they contained a number of interesting points, we decided to condense those emails into a single document and post it here for others to consider.)
What the heck is up in Michigan? Republican Governor Rick Snyder is at it again. He recently vetoed a bill that would have allowed a concealed weapon carrier to carry in schools or churches.
Some folks, including the Governor, have argued that such a decision was "reasonable". On the surface, it may seem that way, but here is why we disagree and why we feel Governor Snyder was wrong: First, if you've gone through the legal process, you know how to handle a handgun, and you hold a permit to carry a concealed weapon, then should there be any restrictions as to where you can carry it? You've been trained, you've got a valid reason to carry a gun, you're legal; seems to us you should be able to go almost anywhere you want without having to surrender your weapon.
Secondly, we take the position that a few concealed weapons in Newtown or at Virginia Tech or in the Wisconsin Sikh temple could have ended those tragedies with fewer innocent bystanders injured or killed. Now, we're not naïve enough to think a good guy with a gun would be able to resolve every incident of this type. In a crowded setting or when law enforcement is on the scene, a private Citizen trying to take action can sometimes do more harm than good. But there are situations in which a trained, armed Citizen can be of assistance.
Our people in Michigan tell us this isn't the first bad policy position that Governor Snyder has taken, so I guess we shouldn't be too surprised. Shortly after taking office he raised taxes on retirees, the middle class, and lower income workers and then cut funding for education, all to pay for his tax breaks for businesses. (When will the Republicans finally recognize that "trickle-down" economics doesn't work?)
Governor Snyder also….well, let's say he may not have been straight-forward with the Citizens of Michigan when he said that right-to-work legislation wasn't on his radar. Maybe it wasn't, but when a few billionaires came into the state last December and rammed a right-to-work bill through the lame duck legislature with no debate, the Governor caved immediately and signed the bill into law.
Taxes, workers, and now guns - sounds like it's time for a change in Michigan.
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