On January 22, 2025, Democratic Governor Whitmer of Michigan signed HB No. 6145 into law as part of a package of bills. HB No. 6145 mandates the state destroy valuable assets as an ideological statement. The bill requires all parts of firearms that come into possession of the Michigan State Police to be destroyed instead of being sold and the money used for the public good. From enrolled House Bill No. 6145:
Sec. 14. ( 1) Subject to sections 5g and 14a, all pistols, weapons, or devices carried or possessed contrary to this act are declared forfeited to this state, and must be turned over to the director of the department of state police or the director’s designated representative, for disposal under this section.
(2) The director of the department of state police shall dispose of firearms under this section by destroying them. The director shall ensure that all parts of a firearm disposed of under this section are destroyed.
Control of the House flipped from Democratic control to Republican control on November 5, 2024. On December 12, 2024, House Bill No. 6145 was introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives. The bill was passed with partisan votes in the lame-duck session in the House. The new office holders would not take office until January 1, 2025. The Senate passed the bill on December 20, 2024. Governor Whitmer signed HB No. 6145 into law on January 22, 2025. The law will go into effect on April 2, 2025. From fox2detroit.com:
The New York Times reported in 2023 that buyback programs often don’t lead to the complete firearm being destroyed.
Instead, a single piece that includes the gun’s serial number is disposed of before the company that takes them in sells the rest of the firearm.
HB 6144, 6145, and 6146 deals with any gun buyback programs, ordering the Michigan State Police to destroy all firearms that was purchased during one of those sessions.
This poorly conceived bill does nothing to stop crime or benefit the State of Michigan. Numerous academic studies have found gun “buybacks” to have no measurable positive effect on crime. One large study found “buybacks” to have a slight but measurable negative effect. “Buybacks” were associated with slight increases in crime.
Elementary economics indicate the bill’s primary effect will be to increase the number of new gun sales. Most of the firearms affected by the bill will be old firearms, many of them collectible. Parts for old firearms will now be destroyed instead of entering the market.
The effect of destroying the firearms will increase the demand for new firearms. It is simple supply and demand economics. There is a demand for firearms. The demand can be met with new firearms or used firearms. If the supply of used firearms is reduced, the demand easily shifts to new firearms. When more old firearms are destroyed, more new firearms are sold.
With over 500 million firearms in the private stock in the United States, destroying a few does not affect the supply very much. Over the last five years, over 15 million firearms have been sold each year. Approximately 87% of them are new stock. Since the Presidential election year of 2008, 208 million firearms have been added to the private stock.
Destroying guns or gun parts robs taxpayers in two ways: The state agency has to pay to have the firearms destroyed, and the state loses the value of firearms and parts that are destroyed rather than sell them and pocket the money.
The number of firearms used in crime in a given year are a tiny percentage of firearms in the nation. There were less than three crimes committed with firearms per 1000 people in 2023. There were about 1,500 legal firearms per 1000 people in the United States. If the absurd assumption is made that every crime committed with a firearm is committed with one firearm, which is never used in crime again, there are 500 firearms which are never involved in crime for every one which is, in any year. In fact, firearms are often used in multiple crimes. Other nations with much smaller stocks of firearms per capita have crime rates much higher than the United States. The number of legally owned firearms in a nation has no correlation to murder or suicide rates.
The legislation is founded on the false assumption that if you destroy guns, you are somehow limiting the supply of guns. Another assumption is more guns equals more crime. Both assumptions are false.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of Constitutional Carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
The destruction of confiscated/recovered firearms by police agencies is stupidity at its zenith. It is a waste of taxpayer money, not to trade or sell these weapons for new guns, ammo, leather gear, or other supplies, rather than pay for those new supplies entirely with tax money. Are the idiots behind these decisions afraid that an inanimate object, once confiscated as evidence in a crime, will somehow go out and re-offend? If so, would they advocate for destruction of automobiles once involved in criminal activity? What about bicycles? TV’s? Computers? Should these things also be destroyed rather than be sold… Read more »
How does everyone miss the wording of the law? Sec. 5a. (1) Beginning on the effective date of the amendatory act that added this section, the department shall dispose of all firearms that are purchased by a municipality under a gun buyback program and turned over to the department.
99.99%, if not all, so-called “gun buybacks” are privately funded. This law only applies if a city uses its own funds to do that, and they aren’t doing that with their precious dollars. They are not purchased by the municipality. They are purchased by St. Luke’s Church or some community activist organization.
Agreed. It’s wasteful and ridiculous, and Michigan, being one of those Corrupt Blue States, PARTS WILL STILL BE ‘REQUISITIONED’ by the very people detailed to destroy them and eventually will be sold on eBay, GunBroker, etc.
I guess folks forgot that the governess is a witch of a women a dictator her record during the pandemic was anti American pro democratic socialist party who disrupted that states economy. The democrats have suggested that Whitmer run for president. Whitmer, a Democrat, is one of several governors who have grossly overstepped their authority by issuing sweeping, draconian lockdown orders across their states. The question—whether the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act or Emergency Management Act violated the Michigan separation of powers or nondelegation clauses—was “yes.” Specifically, the court found that the Emergency Powers of the Governor Act was unconstitutional as… Read more »
The article makes the point that the number that will potentially be destroyed is statistically insignificant. If the State Police come into possession of them through confiscation (as in crimes) or a buyback, who cares? The people turning in a firearm at a buyback certainly don’t because they already don’t want to do a private sale.
If one is concerned about the loss of antique, collectable, or firearm parts, start a business, take out an add that you’re buying guns.
Unless the states voters make a squawk, nothing will be done, it’s their tax dollars.
It is all about optics and virtue signaling. Just like that Marxist sculpture outside the United Nations building of a gun with a twisted barrel. Most third-world UN boosters, and receivers of western largess, have armies and police armed to the teeth that oppress their populations. Same with democrat politicians. “Look at us we are destroying evil guns.” While at the same time their police, National Guard, and private security are armed. The old “Guns for me, but not for thee” mindset. A lot of people, Karens, moms demand action types, and victims of violence, genuinely believe this nonsense. However,… Read more »
If I actually paid taxes, (I live on Social Security Disability,) I’d consider suing the State of Michigan for abdicating their fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers by spending tax dollars to purchase goods (firearms) that often have a resale value far greater than what the buyback program pays for them and destroying them instead of flipping them for a profit. On top of that, they then have to pay some contractor to carry-out the destruction of said valuable assets. They might as well just take bundles of cash out to the parking lot of the Capital in Lansing and use… Read more »
Frau Whitler is a moron that thinks she is the smartest person in the room. That’s not leadership. Moms Demand Action have more sway than the governed do in her world. Thank you God, and the voters of Michigan for term limits, amen.
Only if death sentence to any government or contractor caught with any item that was supposed to have been destroyed
The Police love this, it makes it easier for them. When the City, County and State Comptrollers Offices audit the Police Property Section the audit paper trail almost always shows 100’s of hand guns and rifles missing, never destroyed but gone, gifted to Police Officers with no NICS Check done, etc. Sometimes the County Controller is of the same party as Democrat run County and the County Controllers Office does not audit Inventory during the audit of the Police Property Section. How about that, an audit that excludes auditing and accounting for inventory? This is normally where the Comptroller’s Office… Read more »