April 8, 2025
Contact:
Great Lakes Gun Rights – director@greatlakesgunrights.org, (616) 219-0918
Michigan Open Carry, Inc. – board@miopencarry.org, (586) 913-1662
Great Lakes Gun Rights and Michigan Open Carry Denounce Court of Appeals Ruling as Assault on Rights of Michiganders
Grand Rapids, MI – Today, Great Lakes Gun Rights (GLGR) and Michigan Open Carry, Inc. (MOC), denounced the Michigan Court of Appeals’ decision in Michigan Open Carry, Inc. and Great Lakes Gun Rights v. Michigan House of Representatives and Senate.
The ruling, issued on April 8, 2025, upholds a precedent the organizations believe undermines the rights of Michiganders to petition their elected officials face-to-face in a public hearing, signaling a chilling erosion of transparency and accountability in Lansing.
The case stemmed from a 2023 lawsuit filed by GLGR and MOC against the Michigan House and Senate, alleging violations of the Open Meetings Act (OMA) during hearings on gun control legislation.
These bills aimed to impose stricter regulations on law-abiding firearms owners—an agenda GLGR and MOC oppose. When representatives from both groups, including GLGR’s Brenden Boudreau and MOC’s Tom Lambert, attempted to speak at committee meetings, they were repeatedly silenced under the guise of “time constraints,” while written statements were accepted as a substitute.
The Court of Claims found the House violated the OMA but took no action against the Legislature, and the Court of Appeals affirmed, ruling that “address” under the OMA includes written submissions—not just oral testimony.
President of Michigan Open Carry Casey Armitage lamented the ruling, “The legislature tried to muzzle gun owners, and now the courts are backing them up. This isn’t just about meetings—it’s about our right to stand up and say ‘no’ to gun control in person, not just on some ignored scrap of paper. This decision emboldens every anti-gun politician to shut out the people they’re supposed to serve.”
“This decision is a gut punch to every Michigan gun owner who refuses to bow to Lansing’s anti-gun tyranny,” said Brenden Boudreau, Executive Director of Great Lakes Gun Rights. “The Court of Appeals just handed politicians a free pass to gag us while they plot to strip away our Second Amendment rights. Written notes don’t cut it when they’re ramming through laws to disarm us—this ruling lets them hide behind paper while we lose our voice and our freedom.”
Tom Lambert, counsel for both Michigan Open Carry, Inc. and Great Lakes Gun Rights said in response to the ruling: “The legislature limited our ability to participate fully in these proceedings, and the courts have now upheld that approach. This case goes beyond mere procedural issues—it touches on our fundamental right to engage directly with lawmakers on critical matters like gun control, rather than being relegated to written submissions that may not receive due consideration. This ruling could unfortunately empower legislators to further distance themselves from the constituents they represent.”
The organizations argue that the ruling sets a dangerous precedent, allowing public bodies to sidestep direct accountability by limiting public input to written form—a move they see as a tactic to suppress dissent against gun control measures.
GLGR and MOC remain united in their no-compromise stance, vowing to explore all avenues—legal challenges, legislative pressure, and grassroots mobilization—to reverse this setback and protect Michigan’s gun owners.
GLGR and MOC call on their members, supporters, and all liberty-loving Michiganders to join their efforts in demanding more accountability and transparency from our elected officials, that they also uphold the Second Amendment rights of all Michiganders.
For more information, visit [greatlakesgunrights.org] or [miopencarry.org].
About Great Lakes Gun Rights
Great Lakes Gun Rights is a no-compromise, grassroots organization dedicated to preserving and advancing Second Amendment freedoms in Michigan through activism, education, and legal action.
About Michigan Open Carry, Inc.
Michigan Open Carry, Inc. is a non-profit advocating for the right to openly carry firearms, committed to defending Second Amendment rights without compromise through education and advocacy.
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