AndrewBlakeRoyal Oak, MI – A Michigan Libertarian candidate for the U.S. Senate has said he would like to raise money to give shotguns to homeless people in the metro Detroit area.
Brian Ellison, who filed to run against sitting U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan), announced his “Arm the Homeless” plan last week.
The project would raise $10,000 to give 20 shotguns to homeless who qualify for gun ownership and provide them with training, according to the news site MLive.
Ellison said he noticed there was a big void in offers to help the homeless defend themselves, and described the homeless as “probably the most ostracized, victimized oppressed class of people,” according to MLive.
“You can really see how the public perceives the homeless as less than human – it’s a shame,” he said. “Homeless people are people too, and they have a right to defend themselves.”
He suspects there will be a lot of people trying to prevent his plan to arm the homeless.
“I assume somebody will try to put a stop to it,” he said. “I anticipate there will be pushback, but we plan to work within the limits of the law.”
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Michigan Radio reported that Ellison had no fear that the guns would be misused if given to the homeless population.
“I don’t know why the homeless are viewed as such a different type of people as the rest of us,” he said.
“I carry a gun with me all the time, and I don’t victimize anyone. I wouldn’t expect that the homeless would use their weapons to fight off the police who are asking them to leave,” Ellison said. “I think the homeless would use their weapons to protect themselves from being victims of violent crimes.”
Ellison spent four years in the U.S. Army, according to his website.
His plan didn’t address that the homeless would have no way to secure their weapons.
It also doesn’t address that the majority of homeless people are struggling with mental health or addiction issues.
No plan was laid out for what, if any, vetting would be done prior to giving shotguns to homeless. The shotguns would also presumably be given out with no training.
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