According to CNN , the Michigan Supreme Court ruled on Friday that school districts in the state now have the right to choose to ban all firearms from school campuses.
While the state of Michigan still allows individuals with conceal carry permits to have firearms on school property, two school districts have moved to ban all weapons.
After several firearm advocacy groups filed lawsuits against the Ann Harbor and Clio school districts, the court ruled in favor of the schools. This ruling comes after a Michigan resident legally brought a gun to a children’s choir concert back in 2015.
“We feel like it’s a great day for Michigan children,” the Superintendent of Ann Arbor Public Schools, Jeanice Swift, commented. According to Swift, after the choir concert incident, the school “board took a courageous stand to enact a set of policies to quantify the presence of a firearm as a disruption to the classroom environment.”
However, an attorney for the Michigan Gun Owners group, James Makowski, claims that he was stunned by the ruling.
“This did nothing to enhance school safety. All they did was create a bunch of soft targets.”
“Before this, there was at least a chance that there might be a responsibly armed citizen in a school in the state of Michigan,” Makowski continued. “We just sent a message to every crazy out there.”
Meanwhile, Michigan’s Chief Supreme Court Justice, Stephen Markham, dissented the ruling, insisting that school districts cannot disobey or disregard state law.
The Supreme Court Justices in favor of the ruling, however, stated that Michigan Legislature can prevent firearms from being banned on school campuses if need be, but any action to achieve that yet to take place.
While the new ruling cannot be appealed, Makowski is determined to change the law so that schools might better protect children by having guns on campus.
“It’s just our position is that you need more resources than what the school districts have and we need to look elsewhere,” he said.
The mayor of Ann Harbor, Christopher Taylor, has expressed his support for the ruling and the decision of the Ann Harbor school district to eliminate the presence of guns from school campuses, claiming that firearms help foster a milieu of fear.
“I think that it is proper to enable school districts to keep students and visitors safe,” Mayor Taylor said. “The presence of guns is a danger.”
