Everytown, Michigan Moms Applaud State Representative Robert Wittenberg for Introducing Legislation to Alert Law Enforcement When a Dangerous Person Tries to Obtain a Pistol Permit and Fails a Background Check

LANSING, Mich. —The Michigan chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, a part of Everytown for Gun Safety, today applauded State Representative Robert Wittenberg for introducing a new gun safety bill that would alert law enforcement when dangerous people illegally attempt to obtain pistol purchase permits and and fail background checks.

In Michigan, it is a crime for a prospective gun purchaser to lie about his prohibited status and apply for a pistol purchase permit. Representative Wittenberg’s bill would require permit issuers to alert law enforcement and prosecuting attorneys at the federal, state, and local levels each time a prohibited person applies for a permit and fails the background check—ensuring that authorities have the tools to go after dangerous people before they arm themselves.

Everytown research (available here) explains the necessity of state laws that require these alerts, and highlights the significant danger presented by prohibited purchasers seeking guns: three in 10 people who “lie-and-try” to buy guns and are denied because they have been convicted of (or indicted for) crimes are re-arrested within five years.

STATEMENT FROM KRISTEN MOORE, VOLUNTEER CHAPTER LEADER WITH THE MICHIGAN CHAPTER OF MOMS DEMAND ACTION FOR GUN SENSE IN AMERICA:

“Michigan moms applaud Representative Wittenberg for his leadership on this issue.
When someone who isn’t legally allowed to have a gun – because of a criminal conviction, a domestic abuse incident, or a dangerous mental illness – tries to get a pistol purchase permit, and fails a background check, that’s a red flag, and it’s also a crime. And evidence shows prohibited people who fail background checks are especially dangerous. This bill would provide valuable information to law enforcement which, in turn, helps them keep our communities safe and prevents guns from getting into the wrong hands.”