Gun reforms among measures approved in marathon Michigan lame-duck meetings

• In late-night session, Michigan House and Senate advance trio of gun reform measures generally opposed by Republicans 
• Proposals would ban “ghost guns” and bump stops and require state police to destroy weapons from gun buyback programs
• Lawmakers also approved several other measures, but some packages appear to have stalled in final days of lame-duck session

LANSING — Democrats in the Michigan Legislature on Thursday advanced a trio of gun reform measures over Republican objections as they raced to finalize bills with just days left in the lame-duck session. 

The Michigan Senate approved proposed bans on “ghost guns” and bump stocks, while the House approved legislation that would require police to destroy weapons acquired in buyback programs.

Both packages, passed in marathon meetings that extended through the night into Friday morning, will still require second-chamber votes to reach Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's desk by year’s end. 

That would likely have to happen next week, which could be the final chance for legislative action before Democrats wrap up their year by Christmas and cede control of the state House to Republicans in January. 

While some major packages remain in limbo, legislators advanced scores of other bills on Thursday and Friday, including:

• Data centers: Legislation that would create tax breaks to lure tech company data center is headed to Whitmer after final approval in the Senate. 
• Polluter pay: The Senate approved most parts of a package that aims to hold industrial polluters more accountable for cleaning up contamination
• Police reforms: The Senate approved bills to restrict no-knock search warrants and require mental health training, among other things. The chamber did not take up a "duty to intervene" proposal, however.
• Price gouging: The Senate approved legislation that would create price caps on consumer goods, lodging, energy products and other necessities during a declared state of emergency
• Recreation passport: The House approved a bill that would make Michigan's optional $14 Recreation Passport fee automatic unless motorists option out to increase funding for state parks
• Election misinformation: A Senate-approved bill would create fines for " intentionally and knowingly making false statements about an election with the intent to "impede" voting
• Digital licenses: Bills approved by the Senate would authorize digital driver's licenses and IDs that residents could store on their cell phones

So-called ghost guns are firearms made primarily using a 3D printer, which combines the plastic printed parts with commercially available metal gun components that don’t require registration. They are easily destroyed and difficult for law enforcement to trace after a crime.

Ghost guns were thrust into the national spotlight in recent days due to the high-profile killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.Luigi Mangione, who has been charged in the killing, allegedly used a 3D-printed ghost gun and still had it on him when he was arrested in Pennsylvania. 

“I think the rest of the country is really waking up to what a ghost gun is,” said sponsoring Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak.

Under her bill, approved in a party-line vote, people could not print the plastic portion of a gun without a license and registering the finished product with the state police. In another year and a half, it would be similarly illegal to possess the metal parts needed to make a ghost gun.

The proposal is backed by prominent Democrats like Attorney General Dana Nessel, who earlier this week called the proposed ghost gun ban a "common-sense" reform.

"Ghost guns, because they are untraceable, severely undermine our state’s ability to effectively investigate and prevent gun violence," Nessel said in a statement Tuesday, when the legislation passed out of committee.

Republicans voted against the legislation, however.

"Instead of cracking down on criminals, this bill is another attempt to infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens who responsibly exercise their Second Amendment rights," said Sen. Joe Bellino, R-Monroe. 

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Separate legislation, approved by the Democratic-led Senate in a 23-12 vote with support from three Republicans, would ban bump stocks, which can enable semi-automatic firearms to fire rounds at much quicker rates than normal. 

A federal attempt to ban the sale and use of bump stocks was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court in a June ruling and Democrats quickly introduced legislation to ban the devices in Michigan.

Sponsoring Sen. Dayne Polehanki, D-Livonia, said passage with three GOP votes was “incredibly bipartisan” for gun legislation. Still, most Republicans opposed the measure. 

The House proposal to require destruction of guns surrendered to police in gun buyback programs advanced in party-line votes. 

The proposal aims to ensure that guns meant to be destroyed are not resold for parts, which happened last year in Flint and other communities, according to a recent New York Times investigation.

“This is simply unacceptable," sponsoring Rep. Felicia Brabec, D-Pittsfield Township, said earlier this week in a statement. "We must continue enacting policies to protect our communities, our kids and their futures.”

But Republican state Rep. Ken Borton of Gaylord derided what he called "radical" legislation.

“This plan can’t be viewed as anything but a direct weaponization of government against our state police,” Borton said in a statement. 

“Under these bills, any firearm that comes into the possession of a state trooper must be destroyed. It doesn’t matter if a concerned citizen turns over a handgun they found on the street, or a priceless antique is handed over as part of a buyback. If MSP gets its hands on it, Democrats want it gone.”

The ghost gun, bump stock and buyback bills – which still require additional votes to finalize by the end of the year – represent the latest attempt by Democrats to pass gun reforms before losing the state House majority.

Michigan’s state government, controlled by Democrats for the first time in decades, passed a trio of gun reforms last year in the wake of the mass shooting on Michigan State University’s campus that killed three students.

New laws include “red flag” rules that allow guns to be confiscated from individuals under court order, universal background checks and requirements for the safe storage of firearms in the home.

But with Democrats poised to lose their state House majority, few major proposals have made it to the governor’s desk this month. The House has struggled to find the unanimous support from its caucus — necessary to succeed on party-line votes — to pass other significant legislation.

Among the unresolved issues: Proposed changes to the state’s pending minimum wage and sick leave rules, whether to continue Whitmer’s signature business incentive program and how or if to fund future road repairs.