Lawmaker Wants To Make Gun-Free Zones Liable If Someone Hurt
Bills would remove governmental immunity, make private zone owners responsible for security
A Republican state representative has introduced legislation that would hold government offices and private businesses liable if anyone is injured during a shooting in a gun-free zone on their premises.
State Rep. Gary Eisen, R-St. Clair Township, introduced House Bill 4975, which would revoke governmental immunity from lawsuits arising from injuries sustained on government property where guns are banned. Eisen is also the sponsor of House Bill 4976, which would make a government, business or individual that designates a property a gun-free zone responsible for the safety of individuals who enter it.
Eisen said the intention was to require a business or government that enforces a gun-free policy to take responsibility through measures like hiring security guards.
“I have to presume that no one will have a gun inside and I will be safe,” Eisen said. “They are telling me, ‘Don’t worry, Mr. Eisen, this is a gun-free zone. You’ll be perfectly safe in here.’ We know that is not the case.”
Eisen said by not allowing him to carry a gun, government and companies that declare their property a gun-free zone could be held liable under his bills.
“If they don’t want to be liable, then don’t put the sign in the window,” Eisen said.
The St. Clair County lawmaker is a firearms instructor who teaches classes for those seeking a concealed pistol license; he also trains people on handling weapons.
Eisen said part of the rationale for his bill lies with a report that 98% of mass public shootings happen in gun-free zones. The Washington Post reported that President Donald Trump recited that statistic in a May 4 speech to the National Rifle Association.
The Washington Post said the figure comes from the Crime Prevention Research Center’s updated 2014 report. That report stated that 98.4 percent of mass shootings from 1950 to July 10, 2016, happened in gun-free zones.
“We call them killing zones, not gun-free zones,” Eisen said.
Neither the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and nor the Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence organization returned emails seeking comment on the bills.
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.
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Economic Growth Drives Budget Priorities
Largest gains were schools, roads and Medicaid
Legislators approved budgets this week for the upcoming fiscal year, just ahead of the new fiscal year that starts in October.
The budget continues to grow even without the governor’s recommended tax increases. Michigan’s state budget would increase from $57.3 billion in the current fiscal year to $58.8 billion in the upcoming fiscal year if the Legislature’s approved budgets are signed into law. The amount of money the state collects from taxes and fees increases from $34.0 billion to $35.1 billion.
The largest gains were for the Legislature’s top priorities: schools, roads and Medicaid.
The transportation budget increased from $5.0 billion to $5.4 billion. The governor called for increasing taxes to spend more on roads and other priorities, and recommended that the state spend $5.8 billion on transportation. Legislators were able to fund 93% of what she wanted to spend on roads without raising taxes.
Lawmakers are spending a lot more on the transportation budget than they used to. Excluding federal transfers, its funding increased from $2.0 billion in fiscal year 2010-11 to $4.0 billion, a 73% gain when adjusted for inflation. This increase includes over $500 million that comes from the 2015 fuel and vehicle registration tax increase, but most of the increase comes from making roads a priority for growing tax revenues.
State funding of schools also increased. The state budgeted $13.5 billion to spend on public schools, a 3.0% increase from the current fiscal year. This is also part of a longer-term trend. Inflation-adjusted per-pupil state funding increased from $8,054 in fiscal year 2010-11 to $9,236 in the upcoming year.
The largest increases in state spending are on Medicaid. With federal transfers, the state is budgeted to spend $26.4 billion on its health and human services department, up from $25.5 billion. Medicaid itself counts for the bulk of the increases, while demand for other state assistance programs is down with the improvement in the state economy.
Hundreds of decisions are reflected in state budgets. Legislators deserve credit for their decision to spend $16 million less on the state’s business subsidy programs.
Growing revenues come from a growing economy, and this allows lawmakers to spend more on their highest priorities. The budget passed by the Legislature continues this trend.
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.
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