By Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A local lawmaker is sponsoring legislation that would repeal Michigan’s pistol registry and require law enforcement to destroy all associated records.

Senate Bills 646-648 are sponsored by Republican Senators Lana Theis of Brighton Township and Tom Barrett of Charlotte and were recently introduced.

The bills would eliminate the pistol registry from state law. They would also require law enforcement agencies throughout the state to destroy all records held by or under the control of those departments that were received, compiled, or retained under the pistol registry law - within six months of the bills’ enactment.

Theis commented that law-abiding Michigan residents have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms. She said “The government has no right or need to know whether a law-abiding adult owns a pistol and legal gun owners should not have to register their firearms with the state. This legislation would help restore our natural rights as citizens of this country by repealing Michigan’s pistol registry and requiring law enforcement to destroy all records thereof.”

A press release states the legislation would not apply to a record or copy of a record that is being held as evidence in a criminal prosecution or civil proceeding that was initiated and pending before the bills are enacted. However, such records would be required to be destroyed within 30 days after they are no longer being held for such purposes.

Additionally, every police department would be required to produce a report for the Senate and House of Representatives that it has complied with the legislation’s requirements within 30 days of the six-month window to destroy records. Reports must also be produced each year by January 1st verifying the number of records and copies of records retained by or destroyed by a department related to the aforementioned criminal investigations and legal proceedings during that year, until all of those records and copies of records are destroyed.

When asked about the legislation, Livingston County Sheriff Mike Murphy told WHMI he was neutral and held no strong opinion one way or another.

The bills have been referred to the Senate Judiciary and Public Safety Committee for consideration.