3 new Michigan gun laws take effect Feb. 13: Police prepare for enforcement
FOX 2 (WJBK) - Three new Michigan gun laws regulating storage and access went into effect Tuesday, signed last year by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
"They make the laws, we enforce them," said Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham.
The Michigan safe storage law, expanded universal background checks, and the "Red Flag" law will all be enforced starting Feb 13.
Wickersham reviewed the new gun laws; he said they are simple responsible gun ownership.
"If you have a firearm in your home, and you have minor children, the firearm needs to be stored in a locked box," Wickersham said. "If you do not have a locked box, then it needs to be unloaded with a trigger lock in it."
Gun locks and gun safes are a proven way to help prevent accidental shootings involving children, according to police. The universal background checks now apply to shotguns and rifles, not just handguns.
"Purchasing a rifle, purchasing a shotgun is going to require a permit or if you're a CPL holder," Wickersham said. "If you're buying it from a private individual – there's paperwork that needs to be filled out by the seller, and information has to get back to the law enforcement agency so it can be properly registered."
New Michigan gun laws go into effect Feb. 13: Safe storage, 'red flag', and expanded background checks rules
For anyone who violates any of the three new gun laws, there are added penalties like jail time and thousands of dollars in fines in Michigan.
But when it comes to the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act (ERPO), also known as the "Red Flag" law, Wickersham said implementation has been pretty involved. Police have been working with the family division of circuit court to allow people to petition to have guns taken away from those who are threatening to harm themselves or others.
"First and foremost, I want my deputies to be safe when they have to go execute one of these ERPOs," the sheriff said.
Under the "Red Flag" law, a judge could order someone to surrender their weapons. Otherwise, law enforcement would have to go and take them, potentially setting up a dangerous situation for police even though more and more officers are receiving crisis intervention training.
"Hopefully, we're going to be able to diffuse all of these situations, but we don't know yet," Wickersham said.
It is still unclear how frequently the petition process will be used. Right now, the sheriff says are using it, but should still call 911 if there's an imminent threat
"In any situation – if it's immediate, there's threat of life – 911 is the avenue that you should take," he said. "Law enforcement comes, we're trained, we're getting more and more law enforcement officers trained in dealing with individuals that have mental health issues. So our game is stepping up and we're getting better at what we do."
For more a break-down of Michigan's new gun laws, click here.