New bills aim to decrease use of fake firearms when committing crimes
A package of bills could make it illegal to possess fake firearms that have been altered to look real that are used while committing a criminal act.
Senate bills 779, 780 and 781 are now on the senate floor and should be voted on soon, said Sen. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge.
“This bill addresses a problem going on in southeast Michigan,” Jones said. “Gang members were taking imitation firearms and taking off the orange tip and using them to harass people. One gang member was shot by police, because they thought it was a real gun.”
Jones is sponsoring S.B. 780, which would make it illegal to brandish an altered fake gun in public, he said.
There has been a lot of support from most Michigan senators and law enforcement, Jones said.
“With this we hope to control violent people from using imitation firearms, so we have a safer community," he said. "This problem has certainly created a dangerous situation.”
Senator Hoon-Yung Hopgood, D- Taylor, who sponsors S.B. 779, said by altering the firearms, it’s easy to see how tragedies happen.
In a community Hopgood represents there was an incident involving police responding to what they thought were actual firearms, and it turned out to be altered imitation firearms. Hopgood said these kinds of situations can turn violent if they aren’t addressed correctly.
“My part of the package of bills deals with altering the actual firearm; there will be penalties associated with altering the imitation firearm," he said. "They will only apply if the weapon is used in the process of committing a crime.”
As part of S.B. 780, Jones said it will be illegal to brandish the weapon in an act of a crime and S.B. 781 are the guidelines of both bills.
Mount Pleasant Police Department Public Information Officer Jeff Browne said he hasn’t seen anyone use altered fake guns in crimes in the area. He said he has seen modified air soft guns and can see how law enforcement could confuse the modified fake guns as real.
“To me it sounds like a great bill,” Browne said. “You can be endangered with these weapons and it’s obvious it’s a safety issue.”
Rep. Kevin Cotter, R-Mount Pleasant said he takes second amendment rights very seriously and firearm safety is no area for horse play.
“I look forward to the opportunity to review and consider Senate Bills 779, 780 and 781 should they pass the and be transmitted to the House of Representatives,” Cotter said.
