Michigan state Sen. Jim Runestad, R-White Lake, is calling out Democratic lies in Lansing.

During a recent hearing in the Senate Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety Committee, Sen. Sarah Anthony, D-Lansing, testified that firearms were pointed at lawmakers during a 2020 Capitol protest.

Anthony told the committee she filed a formal complaint with the Michigan State Police over the incident.

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“Our sergeants and police officers do vitally important work to keep lawmakers safe, and it is a responsibility that they do not take lightly,” Runestad said in a statement. “During my time in Lansing, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know these hardworking individuals, and they will do whatever is necessary to ensure elected officials can perform their duties securely. And as a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights, I take any allegations involving the forcible use of firearms very seriously.”

Anthony’s startling testimony prompted Runestad to look into the allegations, submitting a request to Michigan State Police for any information on actions taken to investigate his colleague’s claim of a felony gun crime within the Capitol, records of Anthony’s complaint, and any supporting evidence.

“MSP representatives informed Runestad’s office they found no record of a complaint containing then-state Rep. Anthony’s name related to firearms at the Capitol during the 2020 protest,” according to a Runestad press release. “A thorough search and review of MSP records yielded no supporting evidence for the allegations.”

Anthony’s lies helped convince the Senate committee to approve Senate bills 857 and 858 on Nov. 14, sending both bills to the Senate floor with a recommendation to pass.

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Both bills were supported by the committee’s Democrats and opposed by Runestad and Sen. Ruth Johnson, R-Holly, according to committee meeting minutes. A download link for the audio from the meeting on the Legislative website does not work.

The bills, which were initially introduced in May, would codify prohibitions against carrying concealed weapons in the Michigan State Capitol, Anderson House Office Building, and Binsfield Senate Office Building in Lansing, as their legislative descriptions suggest.

But SB 858 also eliminated a section of law that provides exemptions for concealed carry license holders that allow them to possess firearms in thousands of other places, like churches, sports arenas, grocery stores, gas stations, restaurants and banks.

Great Lakes Gun Rights and other gun-rights groups alerted members the bills were up for a committee hearing before Thanksgiving, resulting in a deluge of calls and emails to lawmakers that forced Senate Democrats to address the backlash in the media.

Rosie Jones, spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, D-Grand Rapids, told The Detroit News the intent of the legislation was to keep firearms out of legislative buildings, while SB 858 sponsor Sen. Dana Polehanki, D-Livonia, told the news site that eliminating the CPL exemptions was simply a drafting error.

“It’s been a drafting error for six months,” GLGR Executive Director Brenden Boudreau told The Midwesterner. “Even if it wasn’t intentional, it’s incompetence at best.”

Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, described the bills as a “last ditch effort by lame duck Democrats to essentially ban concealed carry across the state.”

“It’s despicable,” he told The News, “and Senate Republicans will fight it every step of the way.”

The Michigan Capitol Commission last year voted to ban weapons inside the capitol, and visitors are currently vetted by Michigan State Police. Democrats have also banned staff from carrying firearms in the Anderson House Office Building and Binsfeld Senate Office Building, though the prohibition does not extend to the general public, Boudreau said.

Democrats ultimately amended SB 858 to reinstate the CPL exemptions before approving the measure, though GLGR and other gun-rights advocates remain opposed.

“We don’t want the gun ban codified,” Boudreau told The Midwesterner, “because we believe it leaves people defenseless in Lansing, one of Michigan’s most violent cities.”