LANSING, Mich. — Sen. Dayna Polehanki (D-Livonia) has released the following statement in advance of the Michigan Capitol Commission’s scheduled meeting this afternoon to discuss implementing a ban on the open carry of firearms in the Capitol Building:

“Let me make this clear: The Capitol Commission’s proposal to ban open carry from the people’s building does not ban bullets. Most mass shootings are carried out with handguns and dying by bullets discharged from shorter barrels is not a compromise, nor a solution.

“We dodged a bullet April 30 when our Capitol Building was stormed, and no deaths occurred, but the events of Jan. 6 last week in Washington, D.C. showed how quickly lives can be changed in an instant. Our response needs to be stronger if we are truly going to protect people. No one is safe until a complete ban on all firearms from the State Capitol is enacted and anything less is an abdication of the Commission’s responsibility.”

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