FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
News from Progress Michigan
January 11, 2021
Contact: Sam Inglot, 616-916-0574, sam@progressmichigan.org
Prohibiting Open Carry at MI State Capitol Not Enough
Progress Michigan demands a complete weapons ban on Capitol grounds
MICHIGAN — After the Michigan Capitol Commission decided today to prohibit the open carry of firearms in the state capitol, Progress Michigan blasted the move as being insufficient to protect against the threat of white supremacist violence.
“Our democracy is only as safe as the people who are preserving it are. Continuing to allow concealed weapons to enter the Michigan Capitol is unacceptable,” said Lonnie Scott, executive director of Progress Michigan. “Our legislators, along with the custodial, security, and many other staff who work in these halls each day, deserve to carry out their jobs without the threat of violence.”
“State Senators Sylvia Santana, Erika Geiss and Dayna Polehanki all have said they keep bulletproof vests at their desks because they fear for the next time white supremacists could breach the capitol and attempt to shoot them,” Scott continued. “Since April, these legislators have been sounding the alarm about the potential for violence by armed white supremacist groups at government buildings, and unfortunately, they’ve been proven right based on what happened at the U.S. Capitol last Wednesday. The Michigan Capitol Commission should immediately ban all weapons in our state capitol. The rot of white supremacy cannot imperil our democratic process any longer.”
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