Dear Friend of Shooting Ranges,
It’s been a few long months since we’ve heard anything about the case of Addison Twp. v. Barnhart before the Michigan Supreme Court.
The long wait is over, and on March 7, 2013, the Michigan Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on the case. For those that need a quick refresher, this case would deny a Michigan shooting range protection under Michigan’s Sport Shooting Ranges Act for having “business or commercial purposes.” The ruling is, in our opinion, an absurd ruling that could deny that protection to most ranges in the state, since most ranges – whether nonprofit or for-profit – operate for some sort of business or commercial purpose, and the law makes no mention of denying the act’s protections to those that do.
Back in July, MUCC submitted an Amicus Curiae (“Friend of the Court”) brief in defense of shooting range protections that the Supreme Court can use in reaching their decision.
Click here to learn more.
You Can Attend!
A little known fact is that Michigan Supreme Court hearings are open to the public, which means you can watch the hearing yourself on March 7th. We don't know exactly what time this case will come up, but hearings start at 9:30am.
The Michigan Supreme Court is located at the Michigan Hall of Justice, 6th floor, 925 W. Ottawa St., Lansing, MI 48915.
If you are not able to attend, fear not. MUCC has you covered. We will be on hand to watch the proceedings and report back to you.
It is not likely that the court will reach its final decision on March 7th, but we will be able to hear what arguments are made from each side, what questions the Supreme Court Justices ask, and where there might be holes in the arguments.
Again, we will keep you up to date the day of the hearing, so be sure to log onto www.mucc.org.
Thanks for your support and all you do to advance shooting sports in our state!
Sincerely,
Kent Wood
MUCC, Legislative Affairs Manager
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