1/14/14 - The Howell Board of Education has asked Lansing to add public schools to the list of places where openly carrying firearms is illegal. Michigan's open carry law names several specific places where open-carry is not permitted, including churches, banks, sports arenas, and hospitals, but public schools are not included in the list. At its regular meeting last night, the Howell School Board backed up a request put forward by several Michigan school districts calling for school grounds to be added to the list. The petitioning districts include those in Grand Rapids, West Bloomfield, Ypsilanti, and Alcona. The Michigan Association of School Boards also supports the resolution. Howell Schools recently had an incident in which a man exercised his open-carry rights on school grounds, forcing a lockdown of the school. Wilson says in the future such incidents will likely be handled by calling authorities and having the person in question banned from school grounds, based on the argument that forcing a lockdown constitutes criminal trespass by disrupting the educational process. Public schools are already on the list of places where concealed weapons are banned, except for parents in vehicles dropping off or picking up students. (TD)
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