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Michigan Senate votes to curb use of ghost guns, bump stocks

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Michigan Senate votes to curb use of ghost guns, bump stocks


Lansing — The Michigan Senate voted late Thursday night in favor of new restrictions that supporters hope will combat gun violence: banning the possession of bump stocks and of firearms that don’t feature serial numbers.

Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, told reporters that Democrats wanted to use the final days of their control of the Legislature to protect Michigan residents. Republicans will hold power in the House, beginning in January.

“This is something that Republicans won’t do on their own, so I’ll stay here all night, all day until this gets done,” Polehanki said.

The bump stock prohibition focuses on devices that are designed to make the technique of bump firing easier to achieve, using the strength of a weapon’s recoil to rapidly move the trigger.

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On Oct. 1, 2017, a gunman in Las Vegas used semi-automatic rifles, with bump stock devices, to launch a barrage of shots that killed 58 people and wounded more than 850 others among 22,000 concertgoers attending an outdoor music festival. The gunman was able to fire off more than 1,000 bullets in 11 minutes.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal rule that prohibited bump stocks. The high court said the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had exceeded its authority. Soon after, state Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, introduced a bill in the Michigan Legislature to make it a felony to possess or sell a bump stock in Michigan.

The measure passed in a vote of 23-12 Thursday night with three Republicans crossing over to join majority Democrats in support. The GOP lawmakers who voted yes were Sens. Thomas Albert of Lowell, Mark Huizenga of Walker and Mike Webber of Rochester Hills.

State Rep. Jim DeSana, R-Carleton, previously spoke out against the bump stock ban.

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“I have a strong core belief that the people’s constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms and the right of self defense is absolute and cannot be restricted, infringed or regulated to the point that a law abiding citizen would find themselves in violation of laws just for having certain types of guns,” DeSana said in June.

The Senate also approved separate bills that would make it a crime to manufacture, possess or sell guns that don’t feature serial numbers, frequently referred to as ghost guns.

Ghost guns can be built from separate pieces or a kit and are often made of 3D printed material and untraceable, according to the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency.

The number of ghost guns recovered by law enforcement in the U.S. increased by 398% from 2016 to 2020 with nearly 24,000 ghost guns recovered across the country during that five-year period, according to the national organization Everytown for Gun Safety.

Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak, said the country had seen a “proliferation of ghost guns.”

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The main ghost gun proposal passed in a vote of 20-15 with Democrats in support and Republicans in opposition.

In a statement earlier this week, Attorney General Dana Nessel said ghost guns “severely undermine our state’s ability to effectively investigate and prevent gun violence.”

“By taking decisive action to ban them, we can prevent further tragedies in our communities and protect the lives of Michiganders,” Nessel, a Democrat, said. “This legislation is not about infringing on the rights of law-abiding gun owners.

“It’s about ensuring that our communities are safe from criminals using ghost guns to commit untraceable crimes.”

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Sen. Joe Bellino, R-Monroe, spoke out against the ghost gun bills, contending Democrats should insist “soft-on-crime prosecutors” enforce the gun laws already on the books.

“This bill is another attempt to infringe upon the rights of law-abiding citizens who responsibly exercise their Second Amendment rights,” Bellino said.

The votes Thursday night came on one of the final nights of the 2023-2024 legislative term. To become law, the bills would have to be approved by the House and signed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

In 2023, after a shooting on the campus of Michigan State University, the Democrat-controlled Legislature enacted a series of new gun restrictions, expanding background check requirements for firearm purchases and imposing storage standards for guns kept in homes where children are present.

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Republicans will take control of the state House in January.

cmauger@detroitnews.com



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Michigan woman accused of smuggling drugs, SIM cards into Upper Peninsula prison

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Michigan woman accused of smuggling drugs, SIM cards into Upper Peninsula prison


Redford man charged with human trafficking, bridal shop owner sentenced and more top stories

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Redford man charged with human trafficking, bridal shop owner sentenced and more top stories

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(CBS DETROIT) — A 41-year-old Redford woman is accused of smuggling drugs and SIM cards into an Upper Peninsula prison. 

Michigan State Police say Frances Ramirez-Huerta tried to smuggle drugs into the Chippewa Correctional Facility in Kincheloe in Chippewa County. She was arrested after an investigation by the Michigan Department of Corrections. 

On Jan. 11, corrections officers became suspicious after witnessing a prisoner behave unusually during a visitation. 

Surveillance video allegedly showed Ramirez-Huerta, who was visiting an inmate, conceal the items in the waistband of her pants, which she discreetly gave to the prisoner. 

When prison officers searched the inmate, they found a bundle containing 140 suboxone strips and a second bundle with seven grams of marijuana flower in packaging. In addition, two SIM cards for cellphones were also found. 

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Ramirez-Huerta is charged with furnishing a cellphone to a prison, furnishing contraband to a prisoner in prison, controlled substance-maintaining a drug house, controlled substance-delivery/manufacture of marijuana and controlled substance-creation/delivery of an analogue. 

She was lodged in the Chippewa County Jail and given a $1,000 bond. Ramirez-Huerta is due back in court on Jan. 27. 

Earlier this month, a Michigan corrections officer and another man were charged with attempting to smuggle more than $400,000 worth of drugs into the Kinross Correctional Facility. Troopers say Andre Taylor, 59, of Clinton Township, and Edward King, 57, of Detroit, tried to smuggle illegal drugs into the Kinross facility where Taylor was working on a temporary assignment. 

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Michigan basketball’s Tre Donaldson embracing villain role for Purdue clash

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Michigan basketball’s Tre Donaldson embracing villain role for Purdue clash


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All across Big Ten country, there’s a bit of a mystique that surrounds the aura of basketball facilities in Indiana.

Much like SEC-land for football, those in the Hoosier State say basketball just means more and a trio of college hoops cathedrals — from Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse to Indiana’s Assembly Hall to Purdue’s Mackey Arena — are just further evidence for that claim.

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Not that Tre Donaldson is paying any mind to that.

Michigan basketball’s point guard is one several Wolverines who will be playing at Mackey in West Lafayette — perhaps the toughest of the bunch — for the first time on Friday as U-M visits the Boilermakers (8 p.m., Fox).

“Coming up north, everybody talks about Mackey, down south we don’t talk about arenas how everybody does up here,” Donaldson told media Thursday morning. “I guess it’s like a big deal? I haven’t really looked into it like that, not trying to be disrespectful or anything. I haven’t like, I don’t even know.

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“We played at UCLA, at the Pavilion, I know a little bit about that. But not much about Mackey.”

A Tallahassee, Florida, native who played at Auburn the past two seasons, the former SEC guard was immediately asked about the toughest environments he had seen, with Kentucky’s Rupp Arena cited as a potential example.

“Rupp was crazy. That’s more my speed, being from down south,” he said. “That’s how Mackey is? They shoot fireworks at Mackey? In Rupp, they shoot fireworks for starters, indoors, like that blow up and cover everything.”

[ MUST LISTEN: Make “Hail Yes!” your go-to Michigan Wolverines podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) ] 

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U-M’s brash point guard didn’t intend to display any disrespect, but he also isn’t willing to give an inch to the opponent, either.

A former four-star safety (and top-300 overall recruit per 247 Sports’ composite rankings) in the class of 2022, Donaldson ultimately chose to give up the gridiron for a life on the hardwood, but his mentality has carried over.

He has seen NCAA tournament environments and played rivals such as Alabama on the road, and as far as he’s concerned, there haven’t been enough of those opportunities to date.

“I’m on go whenever, like it doesn’t matter to me,” Donaldson said with a laugh. “I’m ready whenever. Whenever it goes down, it goes down. I’ll deal with it when it comes, that’s just mentally how I’m wired. I feel like (football) played a part in.”

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Donaldson might also be irked by a feeling that he’s not fully on the Boilermakers’ radar. A backup his first two years at Auburn, Donaldson is now the emotional leader of a surprisingly good U-M team ostensibly built around a pair of primary stars in 7-footers Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf.

Likewise, during the media availability Thursday ahead of the the matchup between No. 20 Michigan (14-4, 6-1 Big Ten) and No. 12 Purdue (15-5, 6-2), there were several questions about another point guard, Purdue’s Braden Smith.

Smith has been perhaps the top point guard in the league this season, averaging 15 points and a conference-leading 8.9 assists — with nearly three times as many assists (177) as turnovers (57). The junior drew praise from U-M’s defensive coordinator, Mike Boynton Jr., on Thursday, too..

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“I didn’t appreciate how smart he was,” Boynton said, referencing his film study. “He’s had so many reps, the benefit of being in a system over time. … It’s almost like he knows exactly what to expect every single possession, so with a guy like that, you gotta keep him off balance.

“Like a great quarterback, he knows the coverage, he’s going to make a play.”

For his part, Donaldson didn’t seem concerned over how to stop the pick-and-roll duo of Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn, Purdue’s big man now averaging 18.3 points and 6.5 rebounds a night.

“I mean just Braden Smith’s basketball …” Donaldson said before cutting himself off. “I mean, they gonna have to guard too. Everybody wants to give them their flowers offensively. They got to come down to the other end and guard us as well.”

Donaldson has had more assists than turnovers in five consecutive games, a stretch that saw him average eight points and five assists in two home games and 16.7 points and six assists in three games away from Crisler Center.

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As U-M goes into its toughest test yet, Donaldson is ready to try and silence the loudest crowd yet.

“I like it better, I feel like I play better on the road,” Donaldson said. “I go in there, I want everybody to hate me. I’m jumping around, singing the whole time during warmups. Like, that’s just who I am.

“I take on that villain role on the road and I enjoy it.”

Tony Garcia is the Michigan Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.





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Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast: Recapping Michigan Hockey Series, Previewing Minnesota

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Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast: Recapping Michigan Hockey Series, Previewing Minnesota


We’ve got a top-five matchup coming to Munn Ice Arena this weekend as No. 2 Michigan State hockey will host No. 4 Minnesota.

The Spartans and Golden Gophers last met in December when Michigan State nearly swept then-No. 1 Minnesota, leaving Minneapolis with a tie (shootout win) and come-from-behind win after trailing 3-1 in the third period.

This weekend’s matchup will follow the Spartans’ series with No. 10 Michigan, one that concluded with a dominant 4-1 win for Michigan State after falling in overtime the night before.

On this episode of the Michigan State Spartans Insider Podcast our Aidan Champion and host Bryan Anthony Davis recap the Michigan series before previewing the Minnesota series.

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You can watch the episode below:

Below is a partial transcript from Michigan State coach Adam Nightingale’s postgame press conference that followed the Spartans’ win over the Wolverines last Saturday:

Opening statement:

Nightingale: “Well, I thought it was a good game by us, good response, right? We obviously went down in their building; I liked us in the first period, I liked us for stretches of the second. I thought they did a great job hanging in there when we really pushed, and obviously, they tied it up and we go to overtime, and they end up winning the hockey game. And I thought we were a lot more determined offensively, I thought we played more on the inside tonight, and I thought the crowd was awesome. They were really into it. So, that was a good win for our program, and thankful to be part of the rivalry. I think that it’s a blessing to — it forces you to be better. And obviously, last night, we needed to be better, and I think that’s what’s special about this rivalry is it forces you and pushes you to improve your team and obviously, we’ve got some areas to improve, and I thought we did that tonight.”

Q: How important was it to hold off Michigan early in the second period?

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Nightingale: “Yeah, good job. I mean, that’s why you’ve got a goalie, and that’s Trey’s [Augustine] job, and I thought we did a really good job of staying in our structure and keeping things to the outside. And if you look at high-danger chances, I thought we were able to limit — you’re not going to limit all of them if you’re playing a good hockey team and they can tax you defensively, for sure, but yeah, I thought our guys kept their heads and kept things to the outside. And you’re playing a good team, right? They’re going to push and they got pride, but I liked our response in that way.”

Don’t forget to follow the official Spartan Nation Page on Facebook Spartan Nation WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE, and be a part of our vibrant community group Go Green Go White as well WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.



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