On Tuesday, the Michigan House of Representatives passed a "stand your ground" self-defense bill. This bill have been attacked by liberals as a "shoot first bill". Such laws have been passed in a number of states, most recently Idaho, Arizona, and Kentucky. Michigan would be the first state that voted for Kerry to pass such a bill.
What is particularly interesting is that the bill passed by a 90-16 vote. That means that a clear majority of Democrats voted for it.
The anti-gun movement in Michigan seems to have essentially collapsed. The last controversial gun rights bill in Michigan was the shall-issue concealed carry law that was passed in 2000. Since then, most if not all pro-gun bills have passed the state house with more than 100 votes. That includes restaurant carry, extending permit time to five years, carry in state parks, and some others that I don't recall.
The margin of victory indicates that the Democrats know better than to try to stop this bill. It also means that Granholm will sign it. If she intended to veto it, she would have told the Democrats in the legislature to put up more of a fight.
One of the few Democrats in the legislature who tried to kill this bill was Kalamazoo's own Alexander Lipsey. He offered an amendment to sabotage the bill. Thankfully, he is term-limited this year. This is one more reason for Republicans to make sure that he is not elected to be Attorney General or anything else in 2006.
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