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Lawmakers introduce legislation to ban guns at the capitol

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Democrats in the state Senate have introduced legislation to ban firearms in the state capitol.

In the spring, armed protestors entered the state capitol leading some lawmakers to raise concerns about safety.

But last month, The Michigan State Capitol Commission rejected proposals to ban firearms at the capitol.

Now, Democratic State Senator Rosemary Bayer has introduced two bills that would ban both concealed and open carry at the capitol.

“It’s not the idea that nobody should have guns,” she said. “It’s that nobody should be able to bring an AR-15 to the capitol and stand over legislators while they work.”

After protestors brought guns to the capitol in the spring Bayer said she wore a bullet-proof vest to the next session.

“The next day my local police department called me and said ‘hey, do you want to borrow a bulletproof vest?’ At first, I said no,” Bayer said. “But then I said yeah I guess I do, I guess I need that.”

Bayer said it’s not just her own safety that she worries about.

“Today there were kids in our capital, in the balcony,” she said. “It’s like, you know what? They don’t mix.”

Bayer said the legislation is unlikely to pass - but she hopes it continues to put pressure on Majority leaders to make a change.

“We don’t have to do this legislatively,” she said. “We’re just trying to increase the pressure in every way that we can.”

Bayer said she’s hopeful the House could turn blue following the election, which might give Democrats more power to push through restrictions against guns in the capitol.