KALAMAZOO, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed legislation Monday that prohibits individuals in Michigan convicted of a misdemeanor related to domestic violence from possessing firearms for at least an eight-year-period.
State law currently includes firearm restrictions for those with felonies related to domestic abuse, but no law had existed for misdemeanor domestic violence.
At the signing ceremony in Kalamazoo, Whitmer said “These bills are based on a simple idea: if you have been found guilty in court for violently assaulting your partner, you should not be able to access a deadly weapon that you could use to further threatened, harm or kill them. It’s just common sense.”
The eight-year ban for misdemeanor domestic violence convictions is the latest firearm restriction added to Michigan law since Democrats took control of both chambers of the state Legislature at the start of 2023.
Rick Omillian, the stepfather of Maggie Wardle, a 19-year-old who was shot and killed by an ex-boyfriend at Kalamazoo College in 1999, spoke in support of the legislation at Monday’s signing.
“This law, now passed and signed into law today, will save someone’s life and give them the chance to live a full meaningful life, the chance Maggie did not get.”
Legislation implementing red flag laws, stricter background checks and safe storage requirements were all signed by Whitmer earlier this year. The overhauled gun laws follow two deadly mass school shootings that happened in Michigan within a 14-month period.
Federal law already prohibits those charged with felonies or misdemeanors related to domestic violence from purchasing or possessing a gun. But advocates have pushed for state-level laws that they say can be better enforced and won’t be threatened by future Supreme Court rulings.
