North Michigan News

State Representative Ken Borton has expressed opposition to a legislative proposal that mandates the destruction of firearms obtained through gun buyback programs. The bill, which passed the House on Thursday, aims to prevent the Michigan State Police (MSP) from selling or trading these firearms.

Borton, a Republican from Gaylord, criticized the plan stating, “This plan can’t be viewed as anything but a direct weaponization of government against our state police.” He further elaborated that under the proposed bills, any firearm acquired by MSP must be destroyed regardless of its origin or value.

Gun buyback initiatives are widely used to remove illegal weapons from circulation. These programs are typically run by local governments and private entities, with all collected firearms handed over to MSP. Under existing laws, MSP has several options for handling these weapons: conducting public auctions for legal buyers, destroying them, using them for official duties, or other lawful methods approved by the MSP director.

The proposed legislation includes House Bills 6144 through 6146 and would compel MSP to destroy all voluntarily surrendered weapons. The proposal will now advance to the Senate for further deliberation.