Lansing, Michigan — A Republican state representative from Michigan has introduced a bill that would hold private business and government offices liable if anybody is injured in a shooting on their property.
State Rep. Gary Eisen of St. Clair Township, recently introduced House Bill 4975.
This bill would change the law that currently grants immunity from lawsuits if somebody is injured on government property where guns are forbidden.
Eisen also sponsored another bill, House Bill 4976, which took the idea one step further.
HB 4976 would make a government, individual, or private business responsible for the safety of the people who enter it if they’ve declared that property to be a gun free zone.
Essentially, if you’re denying the citizen the right to protect themselves, then you are responsible for protecting them, instead.
When interviewed, Eisen said that his goal was to make these entities either reverse their policies on Gun Free Zones, or to pay out of pocket to hire armed security guards.
“I have to presume that no one will have a gun inside and I will be safe,” Eisen said. “They are telling me, ‘Don’t worry, Mr. Eisen, this is a gun-free zone. You’ll be perfectly safe in here.’ We know that is not the case.”
Sitting Ducks In Gun Free Zones
When not spending time at the Capital in Lansing, MI, Eisen is a firearms instructor who teaches Concealed Carry classes for those seeking their carry license.
During those classes, Eisen’s students often ask what they should do when they enter a gun free zone. Many in the class are aware—as are most gun owners–that 98% of mass public shootings happen in gun-free zones.
“We call them killing zones, not gun-free zones,” Eisen said.
Not surprisingly, the Brady Campaign nor Giffords returned emails seeking comment on the bills.
Eisen makes a point, and it’s an uncomfortable one for the anti-gun crowd.
If government offices or private citizens won’t allow us to defend ourselves, will they take responsibility for our safety?