By Jessica Mathews/news@whmi.com


The Michigan House voted to affirm its support of the Second Amendment Tuesday.

House Resolution 227 states the Michigan Legislature will not pass laws that infringe upon the ability of Michigan residents to own and keep firearms. It says the Legislature “will ensure legislation in violation of our constitutional right to bear arms will not be imposed upon the citizens of Michigan by either the federal government or itself and would view such infringements as violations of both the Second Amendment and the Constitution of the State of Michigan of 1963.”

The House-passed resolution does not declare Michigan a Second Amendment sanctuary. Some local governments, including the Livingston County Board of Commissioners on Monday, have been adopting sanctuary resolutions inspired by a national movement opposing gun control measures.

Republican State Representative Ann Bollin of Brighton Township supported the resolution, as did fellow Republican Hank Vaupel of Handy Township. Bollin said the resolution serves as a show of support for law-abiding gun owners who carry for self-defense, hunting and competition. “The freedom to bear arms is one of the most important rights granted to us in the documents on which our society was built. Sadly, this founding principle is frequently attacked. We must stand strong against unfair restrictions and stand up for the honest, law-abiding citizens of Michigan who carry to protect themselves and their loved ones from harm.” She also praised the Livingston County Board of Commissioners for their recent resolution.

While some Democrats votes for the resolution, most did not. One of them was Representative Padma Kuppa of Troy, who said that preventing easy access to firearms does not violate the Second Amendment and that the state and federal Constitutions were not accurately quoted in the resolution. Opponents also said they wanted to see more efforts toward reducing gun violence.

Tuesday's vote took place on Moms Demand Action Day, in which activists from the group's Michigan chapter came to the capitol to advocate for gun control legislation.