Michigan lawmakers haven taken aim at how guns can be stored in vehicles as they continue their last-ditch effort to pass more gun safety legislation. It appears a glove box is no longer safe.

A recently proposed bill would require gun owners to store a firearm in a locked box – separate from a glove box – in a vehicle. The legislation includes stiff penalties for gun owners who fail to secure a gun that is then obtained by another person and used to harm others.

State Rep. Phil Skaggs, D-East Grand Rapids, introduced House Bill 6175, which would amend Public Act 372 of 1927 to include rules related to storing a firearm in a vehicle. The bill was referred to the Committee on Criminal Justice.

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The amendment would require an individual who stores or leaves a firearm in a vehicle to do all of the following:

• Store the firearm in a locked box or container in that vehicle.
• Store the locked box or container out of view of anyone outside the vehicle.
• Attach the locked box or container to the interior of the vehicle.
• Lock the vehicle.

The law excludes a locked glove box or center console unless the console has been specifically designed to store a firearm. The fine starts at $100 for anyone found in violation of the law. The bill includes more severe fines, and even felony charges and prison time, if another individual takes the gun and uses it to injure or kill someone.

The organization Great Lakes Gun Rights posted on the social media platform X:

“State Representative Phillip Skaggs (Gun Grabber- Grand Rapids) wants to make it illegal for you to store a firearm in your glove box, even if it is lockable (HB 6175). He wants to force you to install a firearm lockbox in your vehicle. Oh, he also wants to make it virtually impossible for you to carry anywhere else in the state (HB 4150).”

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In early 2023, lawmakers proposed House Bill 4149-4150 that relate to weapon-free zones, even for people with a concealed pistol license (CPL). These spaces include schools, child care centers, bars, banks, sports arenas, churches, hospitals, college campuses and dormitories, and buildings owned or leased by the state.

These bills were referred to the Judiciary Committee and must be enacted together. They have not come up for a vote, but that does not mean they are off the table during the lame-duck session.

According to The Detroit News, a Michigan Senate bill that would significantly limit the places where individuals with concealed pistol licenses can carry their weapons won’t advance in the state Legislature.

“So, essentially, you can’t leave a firearm in your vehicle, you can’t carry it in places you visit everyday (even if you have a CPL),” states the Great Lakes Gun Rights post on X. “So, essentially, he is trying to create a world where you can never carry. Criminals have more rights than you in Skaggs’ universe.”

In late November, Michigan lawmakers introduced legislation to outlaw firearms that don’t look like traditional guns. Senate Bill 1134 targets brightly colored guns and those that look like toys or ordinary items, such as pens and cellphones, in an effort to reduce accidents and confusion, as previously reported by The Midwesterner.

Michigan has seen an onslaught of anti-gun legislation in recent years, including sweeping gun safety regulations that took effect in February 2024. The regulations include background checks for all gun purchases, safe storage requirements and red flag laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders.

Michigan lawmakers have pushed for safe gun storage laws following the Oxford High School shooting in 2021 and the mass shooting at Michigan State University in 2023. After Ethan Crumbley killed four students at Oxford, his parents, James and Jennifer, were accused of failing to secure the gun and found guilty of involuntary manslaughter.

In 2023, the Michigan Capitol Commission voted to generally ban weapons inside the state Capitol. And the entrance to the building now features a weapon detection system manned by Michigan State Police troopers.

Earlier this week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed bills restricting firearms at Michigan polling places and vote-counting centers.