The House rule was enacted in the last session as Democratic majorities were also adopting gun control measures including safe storage laws and background checks. The House office rule applied to staff, but not to legislators, law enforcement or members of the public with concealed pistol permits.
Representative Joe Aragona (R-Clinton Township) said House staff faced the risk of being fired under the old rule and deserve the same rights as any visitor to carry firearms.
“It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right, and it was very much leaving them in a vulnerable situation,” he told The Michigan Public Radio Network (MPRN). “So, if you can legally carry outside of the office building, you can legally carry inside the office building. Any of our staff members, if they want to be able to defend themselves, they want to go through the training, be licensed to carry, they are allowed to conceal it within the House office building at this point.
House office workers and visitors to the office building still have to go through metal detectors, although lawmakers may go around.
House Democratic caucus spokesperson Jess Travers said scrapping the rules from the last session will not keep staff and visitors safer.
“Public safety has been and will continue to be a top priority for House Democrats,” she said in a statement to MPRN. “That will not change, no matter how much pandering Republicans do or how many political games they play.”
The change does not apply to the state Capitol, which has its own rules. Its public spaces are governed by the Michigan Capitol Commission, which adopted a firearm ban in 2023 and had metal detectors installed at the main entrance to the building. That ban does not apply to lawmakers with concealed weapons permits.
