Michigan high court to hear case on guns in public schools

A battle over whether guns can be carried in Michigan public schools is heading to the state’s Supreme Court in the upcoming year.

Gun rights groups have sued Ann Arbor Public Schools over its policy prohibiting all guns on school property and at school sponsored events in 2015, according to the Detroit News.

Michigan does not have a state law explicitly prohibiting open carry of firearms, so plaintiffs argued the school district overstepped state law by enacting its policies.

A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals of Michigan said state law prohibits concealed weapons on school grounds.

“The statute does not expressly forbid additional regulation, or declare that its subparts supersede any other school-related firearm rules,” the judges ruled roughly one year ago.

But the gun rights groups have appealed and the state’s high court is expected to hear oral arguments sometime next year, although a date has not yet been set.

The Detroit News reports the issue is heating up as the state Senate passed a bill, which would permit concealed guns at school, but the measure is opposed by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican.

Almost all states prohibit the carrying of firearms in schools, according to the Giffords Law Center, which aims to prevent gun violence.

The Gun-Free School Zones Act makes K-12 schools gun free, but the federal law doesn’t apply to state concealed carry license holders.

According to the Giffords Law Center analysis, Hawaii doesn’t have statutes addressing the carrying of guns in schools K-12, but seven states do permit individuals with concealed weapon permits to carry in K-12 public schools.