Tom GantertLansing, MI – A Michigan lawmaker says that “gun-free zones” are really “killing zones” and introduced legislation that would hold the owner of a “gun-free zone” legally liable if there is an attack on their premises.
Republican Michigan State Representative Gary Eisen introduced two bills in the state legislature in August that would hold government municipalities and private businesses legally liable for creating “gun-free zones,” according to Michigan Capitol Confidential.
House Bill 4975 would take away government immunity if someone were to be injured during an attack on government property where guns were banned.
House Bill 4976 would hold a government, business or individual which designated its property as a “gun-free zone” responsible for the safety of the people on that property, Michigan Capitol Confidential reported.
Eisen said fulfilling the requirements of HB 4976 might mean government entities or businesses need to hire additional security to protect citizens on their property.
“I have to presume that no one will have a gun inside and I will be safe,” the lawmaker said. “They are telling me, ‘Don’t worry, Mr. Eisen, this is a gun-free zone. You’ll be perfectly safe in here.’ We know that is not the case.”
“If they don’t want to be liable, then don’t put the sign in the window,” Eisen added.
The GOP representative is a firearms instructor who teaches pistol handling and concealed-carry classes, Michigan Capitol Confidential reported.
Eisen explained that part of the motivation behind his proposed measured stemmed from a report by the Crime Prevention Research Center’s updated 2014 report that said 98 percent of mass public shootings happen in “gun-free zones.”
The Washington Post fact-checked that statistic after President Donald Trump referenced it during a May 4 speech he made to the National Rifle Association (NRA) and declared it accurate, depending on which definition of “mass shooting” is used.
Most number crunchers consider any crime scene where four or more people, not including the gunman, are killed a “mass shooting.” But some entities strip out statistics related to gang violence.
The center’s report showed that 98.4 percent of mass shootings between 1950 and July 10, 2016 took place in so-called “gun-free zones,” The Washington Post reported.
“We call them ‘killing zones,’ not ‘gun-free zones,’” Eisen said.