Michigan Gov Whitmer supports ban on guns in the state Capitol after protesters carrying assault rifles stormed the building to decry stay-at-home order

Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer says she would support a ban on weapons inside the state Capitol after armed citizens stormed the building to protest against coronavirus lockdowns.  

Whitmer denounced last month's chaotic demonstration during an NBC News interview, saying that lawmakers should not feel threatened when they report for work during the pandemic. 

'There are legislators who are wearing bulletproof vests to go to work,' Whitmer said Wednesday. 

'No one should be intimidated by someone who's bringing in an assault rifle into their workplace. And so there is conversation about changing that law.' 

'I think it's long overdue, and I absolutely support that change,' she added.

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Michigan Gov Gretchen Whitmer says she would support a ban on weapons inside the state Capitol after armed citizens stormed the building to protest against coronavirus lockdowns

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Hundreds of people descended on Michigan's Capitol building on April 30 to protest against Whitmer extending a statewide stay-at-home order. Photos from the 'American Patriot Rally' made headlines nationwide as many protesters were seen carrying assault rifles

Armed protestors in Michigan storm state Capitol over lockdown

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Hundreds of people descended on Michigan's Capitol building on April 30 to protest against Whitmer extending a statewide stay-at-home order. 

Photos from the 'American Patriot Rally' made headlines nationwide as many protesters were seen carrying assault rifles, swastikas and Confederate flags.

Whitmer called the scenes 'disturbing' and said they 'depicted some of the worst racism and awful parts of our history in this country'. 

'The Confederate Flags, and nooses, the swastikas, the behavior that you have seen in all of the clips is not representative of who we are in Michigan,' the Democratic governor said on CNN's State of the Union on May 3. 

The sight of so many people carrying guns during the protest prompted the Michigan Capitol Commission to explore a ban on allowing weapons inside the building.  

'We do not like seeing guns brought into the building — loaded guns — and I'm a Second Amendment advocate,' John Truscott, a Republican and vice chairman of the six-member commission, which oversees the building, told WILS-AM on Tuesday.  

'It's the rule of law that will dictate what happens here,' he added. 'We're looking into it.'

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The protest, dubbed the 'American Patriot Rally', drew widespread criticism and allegations of racism as some of the demonstrators were seen carrying Confederate flags and swastikas, along with assault weapons 

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A protester holding an automatic rifle is seen on the lawn outside the Capitol on April 30

The law at issue was passed in 1931 and states that carrying concealed weapons with a license is allowed inside the building. It does not specifically prohibit open carry, so it is presumed to be allowed, Truscott said. 

He said the commission is seeking legal advice on what action it could take to change the law.  

'We'll be getting a more comprehensive briefing at our meeting on Monday,' he told the Detroit Free Press.

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State Rep Sarah Anthony voiced her support for a gun ban in the Capitol on Wednesday after she was filmed entering the building with an armed escort

State Rep Sarah Anthony, who is black, voiced her support for the change on Wednesday after she was filmed entering the Capitol with an armed escort. 

'We were all just appalled by the lack of support and lack of security that I had, that other legislators had, and the fact that a lot of the demonstrators last week were adorning many racist, anti-Semitic signage,' Anthony explained to the Lansing City Pulse. 

'I think it just triggered a lot of folks, especially African Americans.' 

'I will be advocating for a change, at the very least, to ban open carry inside the building,' she continued. 

'For one, it's more intimidating. Obviously, we have a right to bear arms, but concealed would be easier. 

'I don't think we need to be intimidated with large firearms while we're doing our jobs.' 

Other state government buildings in Michigan have gun bans. Truscott said a core part of the commission's legal research is looking into whether the Capitol has any special status that would prevent a similar ban there.