Upton, Trott say 'it's time' for gun safety legislation in Michigan

Washington — Former Republican U.S. Reps. Fred Upton and Dave Trott threw their support Tuesday behind a gun safety package introduced by Democrats in the state Legislature in the wake of the shooting at Michigan State University this month.

The bills would require background checks for all firearms sold in Michigan, require guns be stored with trigger locks or in gun safes, and establish a red-flag law that would allow law enforcement agencies to petition a court to temporarily take away weapons from individuals deemed a threat to themselves and others.

"As strong supporters of the Second Amendment and proud Republicans, we feel it is our duty to come out in support of this legislation," the two former Congressmen said in a joint statement. "Students, educators, and parents in Michigan have suffered through multiple mass shootings in the past fifteen months, and Michiganders deserve action."

A man opened fire on the MSU campus on Feb. 13, killing three students and injuring five others. It came nearly fifteen months after an Oxford High School student brought a gun to his school and murdered four of his classmates and injured seven other people. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and fellow Democrats who have narrow control of the Legislature have vowed to take action in response to the shootings.

Upton and Trott called the package "common sense gun safety reform" that will save lives "by getting illegal guns off our streets while helping law enforcement protect our families."

"We must directly address the causes of violent crime that have become all too common in our cities, in schools, and in everyday life — these bills do just that," they said. "That is why we urge all members of the Michigan legislature — regardless of party — to vote yes on these bills. It’s time."

Upton, from St. Joseph, retired from Congress at the end of last year after 36 years in the House. Trott of Birmingham retired at the end of 2018 after four years.

Both developed reputations as moderate Republicans willing to challenge their party, most recently on issues related to former President Donald Trump. Upton was one of ten House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump in 2021 for inciting the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol building; Trott, who was not in office at the time, said he would have voted to impeach Trump in 2019 for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

Upton told The Detroit News that so-called "red flag" laws have been proven to prevent shootings and have passed in Republican states, such as when former Vice President Mike Pence was the governor of Indiana and in Florida, where Ron DeSantis holds the governor's office.

"The legitimate hunter or sports person or someone who wants to defend their own property should have no worries about having their Second Amendment taken away," Upton said Tuesday. "If we can do something to try and prevent these now daily occurrences of mass shooting deaths, we need to get it done."

When he was in Congress, Upton also sponsored a federal bill that would have encouraged states to adopt a similar law to Indiana's, which allows law enforcement to temporarily confiscate firearms from people at risk of harming themselves or others. Democratic Rep. Debbie Dingell of Ann Arbor co-sponsored the bill.

"These gun issues get really mired in politics and people forget the victims," Upton said. "I think that it will pass and I hope that there are some Republicans that indeed make it bipartisan."

The bills are scheduled to be considered in hearings in the state House on Wednesday and state Senate on Thursday. Upton plans to speak in favor of the bill during Wednesday's hearing.

Some law enforcement officials have said the legislation would create challenges for people who already own long guns for hunting that have not yet been subject to background checks.

Documenting those guns the way legal handgun sales are documented through point-of-sale background checks would prove cumbersome, said Matthew Saxton, executive director of the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association and a retired sheriff of Calhoun County. “

We’d really have a difficult time figuring that out," especially for private sales, Saxton said.

State Sen. Kevin Hertel, D-St. Clair Shores, who is sponsoring the universal background check legislation, has said he's working on amending this bill, Senate Bill 76, to address the concerns of law enforcement agencies.

Supporters of the bill argue the deadly campus slayings at MSU last week have strengthened their case for gun reforms after years of legislation languishing in a Republican-controlled Legislature.

"We must act and we will," Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said the day after the MSU shooting. She called the issue of gun violence a "uniquely American problem."

Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, has suggested he won't support the proposed legislation, saying Democrats should work on "what's actually enforceable instead of us creating a bunch of new laws that you won’t have certain prosecutors enforce anyway."

“I think doing something that doesn’t solve the problem is just as bad as doing nothing," he said.

Suspected MSU gunman Anthony McRae bought his two 9mm handguns lawfully, but they were not registered with the Lansing Police Department as required by state law, according to police.

McRae, who died from a self-inflicted gunshot, was able to purchase the guns after he was free from a probation period for a 2019 misdemeanor gun conviction for carrying a concealed weapon without a concealed pistol license, according to the Ingham County prosecutor's office.

Politics Editor Chad Livengood contributed.

rbeggin@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @rbeggin