As hundreds of gun rights supporters gathered at the state capitol on Martin Luther King Day, a candidate for the 8th District Congressional seat was among the speakers.

The 2nd Amendment Solidarity Rally to support gun rights was held simultaneous to a much larger rally being held in Virginia to oppose a proposed assault weapons ban. Among the speakers at the rally in Lansing was Howell Republican Mike Detmer, who is seeking the GOP nomination to run against 8th District Elissa Slotkin. Detmer said that the Second Amendment is under attack, “Like no time in our nation’s history,” which he says had been mad evident, “by the recent blatant actions by Virginia's Governor…to require weapon registrations in his state.”

Detmer says that, moreover, “there has been an increased push across this country to impose dangerous so called "Red Flag Laws" which not only infringe on the Second Amendment, but also the 4th, 5th, and 14th amendments respectively” and that this, “ must not, can not stand!” Red Flag Laws permit police or family members to petition a state court to order the temporary removal of firearms from a person who may present a danger to others or themselves.

Meanwhile, Detmer is also responding to a recent report about a Facebook page that was shut down by its creators after it became a platform for messages advocating violence against Democrats and Muslims and derogatory comments about women, including Congresswoman Slotkin. The public group, “People vs Gov. Gretchen Whitmer,” was detailed in the Metro Times which identified dozens of recent posts promoting or threatening violence, primarily against Whitmer, but also Michigan Democratic Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Elissa Slotkin.

The paper said among those who were members of the group was Detmer and fellow 8th District Republican candidate Alan Hoover. When asked about the page, Detmer sent the following statement to WHMI; “It was my understanding that the page was created for Michigan residents who oppose the policies of Governor Gretchen Whitmer. I was asked to join that group, and I did, because I oppose her far left, destructive policies and reckless vetoes. No posts ever submitted by myself or my campaign made any references of "hate" nor "violence" toward the Governor, Muslims or Women! Furthermore, I have been invited to join and am a member of over 100 groups across multiple social media platforms where I share the message of my campaign which include the group page in question. Lastly, some of the comments made by some people in that group were totally uncalled for and awful, but to suggest that I or my campaign was associated with them, approved of them or had any control over them is abjectly absurd and utterly ridiculous.”

A request for comment from Hoover went unreturned. (JK)