Keep Calm and Carry On
With the mainstream media in full freak-out mode and many in government flailing about for an answer, it is difficult for the average citizen to discern what is true about COVID-19.
Regardless of where the COVID-19 scare ultimately leads, what is true is all of us are facing less certainty about the future, and that has many of us unsettled.
This is especially true as we are witnessing governments at every level exercising broad new powers people didn’t even imagine it had.
Quarantines, forced closures, limits on travel…
I don’t doubt many of the actions being taken by officials are for the health and well-being of our most vulnerable citizens.
What has me concerned is the potential abuse of unchecked government power that suddenly justifies restricting the right to keep and bear arms in times of emergency.
We’re witnessing this happening in Champaign, Illinois and New Orleans where city governments are giving themselves broad authority to restrict the right to keep and bear arms.
Thankfully, the Michigan Legislature strictly forbid the Governor from infringing on the right to keep and bear arms during a state of emergency back in 2005.
This was in response to the gun seizure squads that went door-to-door confiscating legally-owned firearms in communities ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
But Michigan’s gun control status quo as it stands right now is leaving countless law-abiding citizens defenseless at a time when people most want to practice their ability to defend themselves.
Even though the Governor declared a state of emergency, anyone who is carrying concealed, or in a car, without a CPL can be arrested and thrown in jail for up to five years.
The regulations on the right to carry are so burdensome that, even with open carry being legal, a CPL is practically required to keep from accidentally running afoul of the law.
With state and county governments going into shut down mode, it’s becoming even more difficult to obtain a CPL to comply with draconian permit requirements.
Already, Ingham and Lenawee counties announced they are not fingerprinting for CPLs due to COVID-19.
In short, anyone who does not already have their government permission slip could be left defenseless during this time of need.
I’m sure more counties will follow their “lead.”
But will they stop prosecuting otherwise law-abiding citizens with CCW charges since they have no legal means to comply with the requirement to obtain a CPL?
Unlikely.
This is ultimately the problem when government regulates the right to keep and bear arms and treats it as a privilege.
Carrying a pistol for self-defense should require no government approval, period.
If you can legally possess a pistol, you should be able to carry it how you see fit without paying excessive fees, getting fingerprinted like a common criminal, and waiting on your paperwork to be approved.
All of this is bureaucratic work that government officials deem unimportant in times like these.
Frankly, this is unacceptable and is why Great Lakes Gun Rights continues to champion Michigan repealing the permit requirement by becoming a Constitutional Carry state.
During these uncertain times, we need support from our most loyal members and supporters to keep fighting for the rights of Michiganders.
Thomas Jefferson famously stated: “eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.”
And those words couldn’t be truer today.
That’s why I’m asking for your help.
Great Lakes Gun rights is committed to continuing fighting for your gun rights during this time of crisis.
We will continue holding politicians and bureaucrats at every level of government accountable for infringing on any law-abiding citizen’s right to self-defense.
Your ability to defend yourself and your loved ones will never be more important than it is right now.
No matter what you do, please join me in prayer for our communities to get through this as quickly and as painlessly as possible.
God willing, we will all emerge from this stronger.
For Freedom,
Brenden Boudreau
Executive Director
Great Lakes Gun Rights