Guns Groups File Suit Against Wayne County

Regional Conversations Eastern - North
1

This past Thursday, the Michigan Coalition for Responsible Gun Owners (MCRGO) along with Michigan Open Carry, Inc., Michigan Gun Owners, and three affected individuals filed suit against the Wayne County Clerk in the Third Judicial Circuit Court at Detroit.

Wayne County gun owners are being forced to wait for an extremely long time, sometimes over a year, for an appointment to simply submit their application for a concealed pistol license. Other country residents have been able to schedule appointments for other business in a much shorter time frame. As of the filing date, the clerk’s website will not allow any appointments to be made for CPL applications, while at the same time still conducting other business.

All Michigan counties have experienced delays in processing concealed pistol license applications due to COVID-19. In recent months, most of these delays are due to a wait for fingerprinting appointments through the county sheriff. This can be resolved by applicants using a local police department or approved private vendor with Live Scan capabilities instead. The Wayne County Clerk is refusing to even accept CPL applications in a reasonable time.

3 Likes
2

Out of curiosity, do you know the basis for their lawsuit? I assume the 2nd Amendment is involved- that the county is infringing on their right to keep and bear arms. I’m curious if there are any other arguments, like a 5th Amendment (right to due process) or even a 6th Amendment (right to a speedy trial). That last one is a stretch and would probably weaken the entire argument, but I’d just like to know how they’re putting their case together.

3

@Ouade5 they do mention the constitutional aspect in the lawsuit, however the majority of it is based on Michigan Compiled Laws which require the county clerks to accept and process applications in a timely manner.
In some instances listed in the lawsuit Wayne county has made people wait longer than 13 months. On top of that they completely shut down acceptance of CPL applications for some periods of time.
While they are refusing CPL applications they are remaining open for all their other duties.

2 Likes