I sometimes have to sit back and wonder why I still love the state of Michigan.
Oh sure, I was born here, most of my family's here, and believe it or not, I actually do like the change of the seasons — and we have all the changing of the seasons, including some in between.
Yet when it comes right down to it, Michigan is a blue state, not purple nor red, and some of the things that are done here in the name of safety for the citizens make me scratch my head to the point my scalp almost bleeds.
Case in point.
I came across this story from our sister site Bearing Arms with the great Tom Knighton about my home state and a new(ish) program they have that allows authorities to go up to a residence and check for guns. I immediately raised both my eyebrows.
From his article...
Gun control proponents are really big on the idea that some people shouldn’t have guns. I won’t say that I necessarily disagree–I’ve known too many people who are a danger to themselves when opening a Coke bottle, after all–but we tend to disagree as to whether the government should be involved in the process.
I would also add: "Coke bottle or Bud Light," but I digress.
He continues.
In Michigan, they most definitely are.
You see, it’s not just about the laws on the books there. It seems it’s also about basically going door-to-door to make sure those people are disarmed.
A statewide public safety campaign has led to the removal of more than 500 illegal guns from people on probation or parole.
That’s according to an update on Michigan’s Operation Safe Neighborhoods initiative, which involves the Michigan Department of Corrections working with local law enforcement to conduct compliance checks on people under state supervision.
Corrections department Legislative Liaison Kyle Kaminski said the program has been effective since it launched a little over a year ago.
“We are confident that getting 500 guns out of the hands of high risk folks has made communities safer. It’s probably saved people’s lives, made communities safer; it’s probably helped prevent the escalation of violence in communities,” Kaminski said.
He said the targeted searches involve agents going out with local law enforcement to the homes or workplaces of people on parole or probation who aren’t allowed to have a gun to check for compliance.
That is the part that should give anyone who loves the Second Amendment a bit of a case of the heebie-jeebies.
According to the report, they claim that 4,500 folks have been checked and are thinking this is a success.
He said the targeted searches involve agents going out with local law enforcement to the homes or workplaces of people on parole or probation who aren’t allowed to have a gun to check for compliance.
More than 4,500 check-ins have been completed as part of the program, a press release announcing the update said.
Now, the first question that pops into my head is: Have these people on probation or parole been convicted or pleaded to a violent crime? Most of the time, if you are charged with a felony of any type, you can be denied your right to bear arms — even if you have numerous traffic violations that are felonies with no record of violent interactions.
Now that the State Police are upping this "service" of doing sweeps of people's homes or workplaces, this is even a bit more worrisome about the criteria that are being used.
If someone has used a weapon and been convicted or pleaded to a violent felony, then so be it, but this leaves a bit too much to the imagination for my comfort level.
With the historic southern invasion we have experienced over the past three years, which I wrote about right here — The Writing Is on the Wall: America Likely to Be Hit Because of the Invasion From Mexico — I want people to be able to protect themselves if need be.
Why am I worried?
From my article...
We have had pretty much a wide-open border since January 20, 2021, when Joe Biden took the oath of office to be President of the United States. The administration stopped building the Trump border wall and did everything but send flyers down to Central America and the rest of the world so that they could skip across the Rio Grande and gain entry without authorities checking they are. Of course, this policy was just reversed within the past week, but it's really a case of too little too late.
So if I have my math correct from Ward's count above, he quotes about 3.8 million people who have illegally crossed since Scranton Joe took the helm. So let's do an odd thing and LOWER that number to 3 million people. Now we take those 3 million folks and estimate that approximately one-quarter of one percent have some evil intent; that gives us 7,500 such people in this country illegally. Now they could be just bank robbers or common thieves, possibly some murders or other dastardly things.
If you increase the percentage, you increase the total number, and does that make you feel safe?
What are the chances it is more?
If you pay attention to the news, particularly during the time that Biden's been President, you have to have come to the conclusion that this has not only been ignored on purpose but allowed to happen for nefarious reasons. Incompetence like this can NOT be done with the flip of a coin; it has to be done with deliberate thought and determination.
Cops have an incredibly tough job, and I respect that.
However, it needs to be acknowledged that politicians pass laws that constantly reduce or attempt to reduce our rights, and that needs to be checked frequently and pushed back on when needed. We have a constitutional guarantee to be able to protect ourselves, and that has to be preserved.
Grabbing guns should always be the last option, not a function of a runaway bureaucracy.
HEY
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