House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit is a Marine Corps veteran. One would think that given his military service, he would understand the importance of personal defense and the role that firearms play in ensuring one’s personal safety.
However, this week Speaker Tate foisted a policy on employees of the Michigan House of Representatives that prohibits them from bearing arms on all House property in downtown Lansing.
“Weapons do not belong in the workplace,” Amber McCann, a spokeswoman for Tate, told The Detroit News. “This policy helps ensure the safety of all House employees and aligns with most people’s expectation of an office environment.”
The right to self-defense is being undermined here in Michigan. Even concealed pistol licensed house staff are told they must be disarmed on state property. Hundreds of constituents took the time to send letters, letting me know of their valid opposition. pic.twitter.com/R6gffs33od
— Brad Paquette (@BradPaquette18) March 21, 2023
It goes without saying but House staff with concealed carry permits are vetted twice by the government.
Once when they apply for a position to work for the lower house of the Legislature. And, then again when they go through the process to obtain a pistol permit, which includes firearms safety training, fingerprints, background check, and a photo ID.
A sensible politician would argue that, along with law enforcement, these are precisely the individuals a lawmaker wants armed when they are in the workplace, especially because Speaker Tate’s policy does not impact members of the public who are visiting, House sergeants, or state lawmakers.
In short, Speaker Tate is disarming and rending helpless the very people he and his fellow colleagues should trust the most.
This doesn’t make any sense at all, as State Rep. Angela Rigas (R-Alto) noted in a post on Facebook.
“Both members of my staff carry to not only protect themselves, but to protect anyone in need at the House,” Rigas wrote Monday. “This new policy will effectively put ALL staff at risk, especially the hundreds of young women who work here.”
It should be clear what’s going on here. Speaker Tate is caving to the anti-gun forces that have a stranglehold over the Democratic Party. Call it cozying up to Bloomberg’s billions.
As a result of this widespread effort to curry favor, the vast majority of Democrats have taken a hostile stance toward the 2A. Even when it endangers their own well-being, as is the case with this pointless gun ban in the Michigan House.
Think about it. How else would a Marine veteran like Tate come to the conclusion that disarming good guys — the folks he entrusts to work side-by-side with him and his colleagues daily — make bad guys less dangerous?
Speaker Tate’s either gone full-blown moonbat or he’s doing the bidding of Bloomberg in the hopes that there’s some sort of kickback in the future. I’d wager on the latter.
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is the News Editor of GunsAmerica.
