Michigan House Republicans introduce bill to designate AR-15 the official state rifle
The AR-15 semi-automatic rifle has been used in the deadliest mass shootings in the US.
A group of Republican lawmakers in the Michigan House of Representatives is seeking to designate the AR-15 semi-automatic rifle Michigan’s official state firearm.
House Bill 5792, introduced by Rep. Brian BeGole on June 6, would make Michigan the 11th state to officially designate a state firearm.
BeGole, a former Shiawassee County sheriff who represents Antrim Township, said in a statement that the legislation is intended to destigmatize AR-15s and recognize responsible gun owners.
“Millions of people across the country and thousands in Michigan own an AR-15,” BeGole said. “This distinction recognizes these law-abiding gun owners who are often vilified just for having a firearm as a hobbyist or to keep their homes and families safe.”
Ryan Bates, the executive director of End Gun Violence Michigan, said the legislation sends the wrong message and does nothing to help solve the problem of mass shootings in the country.
While the AR-15 isn’t the most common weapon used in mass shootings, it is the most deadly. Those who have committed mass shootings with the highest number of fatalities in the United States have used an AR-15 or similar semi-automatic weapon. Between 2015 and 2022, 23 times more people were wounded per incident on average in mass shootings in which semi-automatic weapons were used than in incidents where they were not according to Everytown for Gun Safety, a national organization that advocates for gun violence prevention.
“The AR-15 isn’t just any old gun,” Bates said. “It’s military-grade hardware. It’s not good for hunting because it’ll literally blow up the deer. It’s not good for home defense because it’s too big to maneuver within your home. The only thing it’s good for is killing large numbers of people very quickly.”
Bates said that the AR-15 has become a far-right symbol of extremism and a willingness to engage in political violence: “They want to solve our problems, solve our disputes with bullets instead of balance.”
In the Democratic-controlled state Legislature, it’s unlikely the bill will move through the House. Democratic leadership sent the bill to the House Government Operations Committee, where bills often go without a hearing.
BeGole said in his statement that official recognition of the AR-51 would push back against the stigma that he says is responsible for legislation restricting gun use. Last year, the Legislature’s Democratic majority and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer passed and signed into law bills that require that firearms be stored safely, away from children, in a lockbox; expand mandatory background checks for people purchasing any firearm; and remove firearms from the possession of anyone judged by a court to be at risk of hurting themselves or others.
“I will continue to stand for our Second Amendment rights and with responsible gun owners in the House, while fighting against measures that seek to infringe on those rights,” BeGole said.
