State Rep. Greg Markkanen on Tuesday voted against proposed amendments regarding the disposition of firearms.  Bills 4144-6146 would require the destruction of most guns seized as part of buyback program, which Markkanen says would prohibit the Michigan State Police from selling or trading firearms obtained through a buyback. The legislation passed the House Military, Veterans, and Homeland Security Committee along party lines.

House bills 6144 – 6146 would amend three different acts to require law enforcement agencies to destroy or retain for their own use, and not sell or trade, firearms that they possess because of forfeiture or buyback programs.

House Bill 6144 would amend 1935 PA 59 to require the Department of State Police (MSP) to destroy all firearms turned over to it that were purchased by a municipality under a gun buyback program. MSP would have to ensure that all parts of the firearms are destroyed, and it would be prohibited from reselling any of the firearms.

House Bill 6144 and 4145 would amend 1935 Public Act 59 to to require the Department of State Police (MSP) to destroy all firearms turned over to it that were purchased by a municipality under a gun buyback program. MSP would have to ensure that all parts of the firearms are destroyed, and it would be prohibited from reselling any of the firearms.

House bills 6145 and 6146 would respectively amend 1927 PA 372 (which generally requires a license to purchase or possess a pistol or to purchase a firearm that is not a pistol) and the Michigan Penal Code. The bills would make the same changes to those acts.

Each act now provides that all pistols, weapons, or devices carried or possessed contrary to its provisions are forfeited to the state and must be turned over to the director of MSP or their representative for disposal. After determining whether the firearm was lost or stolen and providing public notice, the director can dispose of forfeited firearms in any of the following ways: by destroying them; by selling them at auction, or; in any other lawful manner the director prescribes.

The bills would eliminate the latter two options and require the director to destroy the forfeited firearms. The director would have to ensure that all parts of a firearm of disposed of under those provisions are destroyed.

“Democrats have decided that forcing taxpayers to pay for unwanted guns isn’t enough, now they want taxpayers to foot the bill for the destruction of perfectly good firearms as well,” said Markkanen, R-Hancock, in a Thursday release. “The inexplicable hatred of guns is taken to a new level with these bills. Firearms obtained through buyback usually have some value. But apparently, anything with a trigger component or any chance of shooting is so threatening to Democrats that the only option is to melt them down at taxpayer expense.”

Gun buyback programs have become a popular way to get illegally owned weapons off the street, the release says. The practice, primarily operated by municipalities and private organizations, usually leads to all firearms obtained through the buybacks being turned over to MSP. Under current law, MSP is permitted to conduct a public auction to facilitate a firearm sale to a legally eligible buyer, destroy the weapons, use the firearms for official purposes, or dispose of them in another lawful manner permitted by the MSP director.

House Republicans argue that buyback programs, including the destruction of firearms, can be expensive, Markkanen said in the release. Auctioning off or finding alternative uses for some firearms can help offset those costs or help boost the bottom line for smaller agencies operating on tighter budgets. Additionally, some firearms obtained through a buyback may be viewed as a collector’s item. So, while they may not be able to be used by a law enforcement agency, collectors may have an interest in unique or antique firearms.

A legislative analysis published by the House Fiscal Agency says that while House Bills 6145 and 6146 would have no fiscal impact on the state, they could have a negative fiscal impact on local units of government. Under the bills, local law enforcement agencies would no longer be permitted to resell firearms obtained through buyback programs, which could result in a loss of revenue for these entities. Because the number of buyback firearms varies from year to year and across jurisdictions and the revenue from auctions held by local law enforcement agencies is not known, an estimate of the bills’ fiscal impact on these entities cannot be made.

The plan now moves to the full House for further consideration.