1/17/13 - Gun owners across Michigan are expected to rally in Lansing this weekend following President Obamaâs call for new gun control measures including requiring background checks for all gun sales and banning both military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. The Guns Across America rally is set for noon Saturday in front of the Capitol building in Lansing with gun owners encouraged to rally and show their opposition to the measures proposed in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting massacre last month. One of those who will be in attendance is Tyler Charlick of Milford. She is an avid gun owner who says while she doesnât necessarily have a problem with extending background checks; the effort to limit assault weapons and ammunition clips is an infringement on Constitutional rights. "The defense of yourself against someone or something or whatever you felt you needed to defend yourself against is not explicitly spelled out in the Constitution what we can and cannot have...I can say I don't think it should be up to the government to tell us what we can and can't have when the Second Amendment just states that we have the right to defend ourselves." While it would appear most gun owners are of the same opinion, not all of them have a problem with what they see as reasonable limitations, especially on assault weapons. Joann Murphy of Brighton is a long-time gun owner who says the realities that existed when the Bill of Rights was written donât match the realities of today. "I think when they wrote the Second Amendment nobody ever thought that assault rifles would be a part (of it). Everything has changed so much that there's no reasonable connection with what was then and what is now." The president's sweeping, $500 million plan marks the most comprehensive effort to tighten gun laws in nearly two decades. But his proposals, most of which are opposed by the National Rifle Association, face a doubtful future in a divided Congress where Republicans control the House. Seeking to circumvent at least some opposition, Obama signed 23 executive actions on Wednesday, including orders to make more federal data available for background checks and end a freeze on government research on gun violence. But he acknowledged that the steps he took on his own would have less impact than the broad measures requiring approval from Capitol Hill. As for Saturdayâs rally, Charlick says the goal is to demonstrate peaceful opposition to the proposals and for gun owners to flex their political muscle. Youâll find details about the rally through the link below. (JK)
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