Lately, both State Senators and Representatives have been introducing legislation that would exempt, or 'carve out', specific classes of individuals from Michigan's concealed pistol free zones (cPFZs) as specified in MCL 28.425o. These exemptions essentially state that the lives of those belonging to these special classes are more important than those who don't - which is clearly wrong.

The reasoning commonly given in advocacy of these exemptions to cPFZs is that members of these classes may be targeted as a result of their current or previous carreers. Disregarding the actual statistics about members of these classes being attacked in cPFZs, the reasoning given should be evidence alone that restricting these areas from concealed carry make things less safe. Just because you or I may not have been a federal law enforcement officer or state court judge doesn't mean we shouldn't have the ability to defend ourselves in these zones should we decide to carry concealed.

As a result, Michigan Open Carry strongly opposes these types of bills. However, we have a compromise:

Michigan Open Carry will support these bills if, and only if, they eliminate at least one cPFZ in the process. If exemption bills followed this path, we would eventually eliminate these cPFZs, and every day citizens would be able to protect themselves should they decide to carry concealed.