Michigan Senate Democrats are poised to pass legislation to gun rights advocates describe as “a backdoor strategy to strip Michiganders of their Second Amendment rights without due process.”
Senate Bill 111, sponsored by Sen. Veronica Klinefelt, D-Eastpointe, would create an “elder and vulnerable adult personal protection order” that would prohibit an individual from various action, from entering premises, to assault, to threats, to possessing firearms.
Klinefelt said last year the legislation is aimed at “creating a mechanism to protect older and vulnerable adults from violence and threats by those who are trusted to care for them,” gun rights groups believe it serves another purpose.
“For us, this is just another form of gun confiscation without due process,” Brenden Boudreau, executive director of Great Lakes Gun Rights, told The Midwesterner.
Gun Owners of America cites the same in opposition, arguing SB 111 “disguises itself as a sell-intentioned protection for elderly individuals or vulnerable adults, but in reality, this insidious bill circumvents due process and strips away Second Amendment rights.”
“In simple terms this is a Red Flag law, and we know they are a dangerous infringement on due process and the Second Amendment, allowing the government to strip individuals of their firearms based on unverified accusations rather than concrete evidence or a criminal conviction,” GOA wrote in a state alert posted online.
“These laws empower courts to confiscate firearms from law-abiding citizens without a fair trial, often based on vague claims of potential danger rather than actual wrongdoing. This sets a precedent where constitutional rights can be revoked without proper due process.”
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That’s seemingly been the case with other red flag laws approved by Michigan Democrats in recent years.
Data from the Michigan State Police reviewed by The Detroit News shows a red flag law approved by a Democratic government trifecta in 2023 to allow police, medical professional or family to petition a judge to confiscate firearms resulted in 321 emergency risk protection orders between Feb. 13, 2024 and Feb. 6, 2025.
In numerous cases, the orders involved minors as young as 6 years old, resulting in the removal of weapons from their family home, despite the fact that minors can’t legally own firearms.
Judges have also signed extreme risk protection orders for individuals at Michigan’s largest universities, as well as Detroit police officers facing domestic violence allegations, according to The News.
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“It’s getting wild,” Boudreau said, noting the vast majority of orders were granted ex-parte, meaning they were approved by judges before those involved were given an opportunity to present their case.
A separate Bridge Michigan analysis of red flag data from Feb. 13 through Dec. 31 found 73.4% of orders requested were issued, while 21.48% were denied, 1.53% were dismissed, 2.05% were rescinded, and 1.53% remained open. At least seven cases involved minors.
“It looks, to me, like it’s working exactly the way we intended,” state Rep. Kelly Breen, D-Novi, told Bridge.
Out of 384 requests reviewed by the news site, 237 were granted ex-parte, and 111 involved “immediate emergency” requests from law enforcement.
Great Lakes Gun Rights notes that “under SB 111, merely purchasing a firearm could be considered ‘evidence’ that you’re a threat, leading to a personal protection order that disarms you without a crime ever being committed.
“The anti-gun left is no longer satisfied with confiscating firearms – they want to criminalize the mere act of legally obtaining one,” according to a GLGR legislative alert. “This bill is a clear and direct attack on lawful gun ownership in Michigan.”
Senate Democrats dismissed those concerns when a majority in the Committee on Civil Rights, Judiciary, and Public Safety approved SB 111 this week. The bill is expected to come up for a vote before the full Senate on Wednesday.
Senate Democrats approved the same legislation with some Republican support in October, but it ultimately died in the House.
“It sounds like there’s more opposition this time around than last time,” Boudreau said. “It’s likely to pass the Senate. I’m hoping we’ve picked up a little opposition from last year.”
Democrats currently control the upper chamber with a 19-18 majority, while voters in November elected a Republican majority in the House, ending Democrats’ first government trifecta in 40 years.
If approved, the SB 111 would head to the lower chamber, where Republicans have introduced legislation to repeal Democrats’ 2023 red flag law.