Michigan gun rights groups focus their fight on procedure
(CBS DETROIT) - Despite legislation being signed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the fight over gun reform laws isn't over just yet.
Two gun rights groups say the legislation was passed unfairly and requested an injunction against lawmakers. That's a fight a court of claims judge denied, nevertheless, the two groups tell CBS News Detroit they're continuing to push back.
"We believe that the way that they were holding these meetings were not open," said Brenden Boudreau, executive director of Great Lakes Gun Rights. "They were volatile to the public, it was not easy for the public to come testify. Specifically, those who opposed these bills were given less time and in some instances, we're not allowed to testify at all."
Boudreau and Tom Lambert, legislative director for Michigan Open Carry Inc., are behind the lawsuit. They claim lawmakers violated the First and 14th Amendments by not allowing sufficient time for opponents to speak.
"The legislature is required by state law to follow the Open Meetings Act, and they just blow by it and don't follow it at all. Someone has to hold them accountable," Boudreau said.
Lambert says the lawsuit really isn't about the gun reform laws themselves.
"It's not about substance, about procedure," Lambert said. "In effect, they are suppressing a side of the argument which is wrong."
But Michigan Court of Claims Judge Thomas Cameron disagreed, saying in his opinion the two groups failed to prove those violations.
"The meetings at issue have occurred over the span of nearly two months, and so plaintiffs have had ample time to file this lawsuit and provide defendants with notice of their request for injunctive relief," he wrote.
A sentiment with which Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel agreed, saying in a statement that Michigan Open Carry did testify and both groups submitted cards with written testimony. Lambert says now the groups are moving forward and assessing their options.
