LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia), whose tweet of armed men overlooking the Michigan State Senate chambers in June went viral, has issued the following statement regarding today’s news of an alleged plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and violently overthrow state government:
“I was shaken to my core the day armed gunmen casually stood over us in the Michigan Senate, taunting and intimidating us, and I am again shaken, beyond belief, by today’s news. While we are thankful to the state and federal agencies involved in thwarting these verifiable threats against public servants, I cannot overstate how much we need to change now before there is a next time — because there will be one — and God forbid if there are children present when it happens.
“There has never been a clearer alert signal than today’s news that we must ban guns from the state Capitol except for those used by law enforcement and our sergeants. This is not normal, and it is incumbent upon us to not just talk the talk but walk the walk. It is one thing to condemn these domestic terrorists, but it is another thing to take a stand for something and say, ‘no more.’ We need to liberate Michigan from threats of violence, and I implore the state Capitol Commission to reconsider a ban on guns in the Michigan State Capitol immediately before it’s too late.”
Sen. Polehanki and her colleague, Sen. Rosemary Bayer (D-Beverly Hills) have introduced legislation to ban guns from the Capitol grounds except by the Michigan State Police and each chamber’s Sergeants-at-Arms. The legislation, Senate Bills 1158 and 1159, remain untouched in the Senate Government Operations Committee chaired by Republican Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey.
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