Firing over marksmanship program protested: Supporters want former blind training center director reinstated

The program, conducted in a wooded ravine behind the Oakland Drive facility beginning last September, was canceled in November and [Christine] Boone was fired Feb. 4 for allowing firearms on state property.

“It’s a safety-work-rule violation, a serious work-rule violation,” Mario Morrow, director of communications for the Michigan Department of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, said last week of Boones’ firing.

Carol Bambery, one of the founders of the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners (MCRGO), is running for re-election to the NRA Board of Directors, where she has served since 1998. She serves on six committees, chairing one and vice-chairing three others.

Earlier I posted about a local story in which a Grand Rapids robber was shot where

It wasn’t immediately clear how the man was shot

Well, guess what? Turns out the store owner shot him. Big surprise.

What’s more, the store owner was himself shot by a robber in March. Guess he had had enough of that for one lifetime.

Grand Rapids police seek suspect shot during Leonard Street party store robbery

Police are searching for a man who was shot as he allegedly robbed a Leonard Street party store at gunpoint Friday evening.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the man was shot or how much cash the suspect stole from the store

I guess they mean it wasn’t released to the press how the man was shot. An update to the story indicates that a man with a gunshot wound was brought to the hospital shortly after the incident.

Here’s how the suspect was described in the story:

a 5-foot-8 male, with a very thin build

That’s it.

Here in West Michigan. Should have worked from home.

A good news story about open carry in Michigan: Group aims to spread word on gun rights

Melvindale resident Andrew Szerdi V, who had a .45-caliber handgun holstered on his right thigh, had finished shopping for socks at Fairlane Mall in Dearborn when a police officer stopped him and two friends from leaving the parking lot.

“It was the first time an officer had drawn a weapon on me, but not the first time I’d been harassed by police,” said Szerdi, who has a concealed pistol license and has openly carried it for about a year. “He ordered the passenger, me, to open the door, step out and keep my hands in view. … He told me to walk backward to him. He had me get on my knees, place my hands behind my back, and he handcuffed me.”

Szerdi said the officer then removed his gun and searched his pockets, finding his pamphlet explaining the open-carry right. He said for the next 40 minutes or so, he and his friends, who were not carrying weapons, were berated and lectured while officers ran the serial number on his gun, his driver’s license and his concealed pistol’s license.

Szerdi was eventually released, he said, after the officers could not find a reason to arrest him.

They drew a gun on him and detained him, but all their attempts to “find a reason to arrest him” came up empty. It’s unclear from this story whether the cops stopped him because of a call from someone or on their own.

Though not what you’d call a “big fan” of open carry, I do believe that it’s important for people to know the rights of citizens and I certainly don’t mind seeing people exercise those rights. Though I will always caution open carriers to “use good judgment,” that’s the also case with concealed carriers and anyone else handling firearms. Duh.

Here’s something interesting from the article:

[Livingston County Undersheriff Michael] Murphy said as an officer he has no problem with individuals exercising their right to openly carry a gun. However, he believes doing so should be a concern for everyone in the community.

Wait. He’s got no problem with people exercising their right and the community should be “concerned” when they do? What does that even mean?

People should be “concerned” about the open carrying of a gun the same way they should be “concerned” when encountering someone carrying a baseball bat.

See also: http://www.miopencarry.org

Of course, noting a story like this isn’t complete without pointing out a couple of nutjob remarks by commenters:
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Deer gun season opens today in the Wolverine State and runs through the end of November.

Good luck, straight shooting, and be careful out there.

Was out running this morning on a paved trail near my house when what looked a bit like a German shepherd started to cross the trail.

Except that it was a coyote.

It must have spotted me out of the corner of its eye or maybe scented me (though the wind was strong and mostly wrong for that), because about halfway across it suddenly sped up and dashed into a cornfield across the trail from the swampy woods it had come from.

This was all about 150 yards from a neighborhood along a heavily-used trail on the edge of the city of Wyoming, Michigan. I’ve seen a lot of deer along the trail, including about a dozen last fall crossing at nearly the exact spot as I saw the coyote. And I often spot deer even further into the residential area. But no coyotes until today.

And this wasn’t one of the stumpy mangy looking coyotes I remember seeing in Colorado, either. This was about the size of sleek shepherd.

Coyotes don’t usually attack humans. But there are exceptions.

(When my wife sees this she’s going to think I’m making it up to justify a predator upper for my rifle.)

Michigan’s bill HB 5474 would prohibit colleges and universities from banning concealed weapons. As usual with this sort of proposal, this law would merely allow those who already have concealed pistol licenses to carry as normal.

Here’s a quote from Helmke on the bill:

“We need to do more to make it harder for dangerous people to get dangerous weapons,” said Paul Helmke, President of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “Michigan should reject this bill, just as all other states have done.”

Helmke apparently didn’t elaborate on how the first part of his quote (about making it harder for dangerous people to get guns) related to the second part of his quote (about guns on campus).

Getting past the predictable input from the Bradys, here’s more on the topic:

The MSU Board of Trustees voted in June to allow those with concealed weapons permits to carry firearms through campus. But concealed weapons are not permitted in dorms, classrooms, arenas or stadiums and this would not change, said state Rep. Jase Bolger, R-Marshall.

“(These) are pistol-free zones and that wouldn’t change at all,” Bolger said. “They are prohibited today, and they would be prohibited tomorrow. Michigan State would not change a thing because of this law, because Michigan State has passed policy that is consistent with state law.”

But some university officials disagree.

MSU Trustee Colleen McNamara said weapon regulation on campus should be determined solely by the university.

“It’s our campus,” McNamara said. “And we have responsibility for the safety of the students and the employees of the university, and our policy on guns should be our policy, not the state’s.”

MSU spokesman Kent Cassella said the university could not speculate on proposed legislation.

The bill is included in a package of bills supported by the Michigan State Police to eliminate inconsistencies in statewide firearm regulation.

“We have a situation right now where the state has said, ‘Our laws are going to be the only laws that are going to (be) applicable on this topic,’” said First Lt. Matt Bolger, legislative liaison for the Michigan State Police.

The State Police backing the bill should give it a better chance.

Here’s some input from a Wayne State University (in Detroit) student:
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Trijicon Selects Driftwood Media

Wixom, MI – Trijicon, Inc. manufacturer of high quality, innovative sighting systems for law enforcement, military, hunting and the shooting sports, has selected Driftwood Media, Inc. to carry out its media relations and communications efforts.

“We are happy to be working with Eddie Stevenson and Driftwood Media”, said Tom Munson, Trijicon Director of Sales and Marketing. “Trijicon has worked hard over the past few years to increase our presence in the industry and we will rely on Driftwood Media to help us continue our amazing growth.”

Eddie’s a great guy and it’s awesome to see his new venture land this great client.

As for Trijicon, they’ve got to be one of the top companies in our beleaguered Wolverine State.