FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 22, 2005

CONTACT: Senator Mike Prusi 517-373-7840 866-305-2038

PRUSI DRAFTING LEGISLATION TO ADDRESS CCW RENEWAL DELAYS

LANSING – State Senator Mike Prusi (D-Ishpeming) is currently drafting legislation that will address the delay numerous Carrying A Concealed Weapon license (CCW) holders have encountered in receiving their renewals in a timely fashion. Prusi’s office has received numerous complaints from constituents throughout the U.P. who have been forced to wait in some cases up to six months for their renewal to be processed, even if they applied for that renewal weeks before their permit expired.

“Law-abiding CCW-holders who renew their licenses well in advance should not have to wait months for their renewal,” Prusi said. “My legislation will enable those seeking a renewal to enjoy a temporary extension of their current license by providing proof of a timely application while awaiting the processing of their fingerprint background check, should the results be delayed by no fault of their own.”

Public Act 381 of 2000 made Michigan a “shall-issue” state, establishing specific criteria to be used by county gun boards in determining whether or not to approve a request for a CCW. Prior to passage of PA 381, the degree to which licenses were previously granted varied greatly between counties, as some routinely granted thousands of licenses per year while others granted licenses only to certain citizens, such as former police officers.

CCW applicants must apply with their local county clerk and submit fingerprints to the Michigan State Police (MSP) for a federal background check. However, continual state budget cuts throughout the past few years and the 2002 state employee early-out plan enacted by Governor Engler have created a backlog in processing new CCW applications and renewals within the Criminal Justice Information Center (CJIC) of the Michigan State Police (MSP). For example, due to the early out alone, MSP has not been able to retain the number of full-time employees exclusively dedicated to processing called for in the original CCW legislation.

“I believe this is common-sense legislation,” Prusi said. “I look forward to continuing to work with MSP and my colleagues in the Legislature to resolve the current CCW renewal backlog during these difficult budgetary times.”

# # #

Mike Prusi serves as Democratic Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. He represents the 38th Senate District, which includes all Upper Peninsula counties west of Luce County.