STORY PRODUCED BY CAPITAL NEWS SERVICE
LANSING — Proposed legislation in the House would allow county road commission agents to carry personal firearms while on the job.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Tom Kunse, R- Clare, would amend the Michigan Vehicle Code that currently prohibits agents from carrying licensed firearms unless they are certified as police officers.
“The state shouldn’t be able to take the right away from someone to carry a licensed firearm,” Kunse said. “That should be between the county and its employees.”
Kunse said many weighmasters – agents who can pull commercial vehicles over to enforce code violations – have licenses to carry concealed weapons.
Many of them have voiced concerns over not being allowed to carry while on the job, he said.
“It could be for safety reasons, but several weighmasters have come to me and said, ‘I have a license to own this gun—everything is legal, so why can’t I carry on the job?’” Kunse said.
Kunse said that the primary intent of this legislation is to leave the decision to each county. If a county determines that its commission employees should be able to carry a weapon, it would have the authority to set the training requirements and standards to be implemented.
Tom Steinbis, a legislative specialist at the Michigan County Road Association, said maintaining the current law is important to preserve a consistent standard and ensure that agents in the field receive proper training.
“We prefer agents to be certified with law enforcement standards and to be acting as police or sheriffs if they are to carry firearms,” Steinbis said. “When you’re working with the general public, it is good to make sure people are properly trained to handle situations if they arise.”
Tom Steinbis also said his association has received few complaints about the current law, noting that many agents with concealed carry licenses have not been placed in situations where carrying a firearm was necessary.
Steve Dulan, a member of the board of directors of the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners, said that he doesn’t foresee many issues with Kunse’s bill.
“Those who go through the process of gun training and certification are some of the most law-abiding portions of Michigan’s population,” Dulan said. “Folks who carry while on the job will still have to follow Michigan laws regarding concealed carry.”
According to the state government website, the current law requires all licensed individuals to comply with specific restrictions.
These include disclosing the presence of a concealed firearm to law enforcement officers and other authorized officials, as well as refraining from carrying a firearm in designated gun-free zones such as schools, churches, hospitals and other sensitive locations.
Dulan, who runs a private law practice and serves as an adjunct professor of gun safety and legislation at Cooley Law School, said Michigan’s extensive training requirements ensure gun owners are properly educated on the safe ownership and use of firearms.
The bill is in the House Government Operations Committee, and Kunse said he has high hopes it will be passed and moved to the Senate.