CONCEALED WEAPONS PERMITS:

ELIMINATE FINGERPRINTING FOR RENEWALS

House Bill 4042 (Substitute H-2)

Sponsor:  Rep. Fulton Sheen

Committee:  Judiciary

Complete to 6-29-06

A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4042 AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE

As part of the application process for a concealed weapons permit, an applicant must have classifiable fingerprints taken by a sheriff's department or by a local police agency, if the local police agency provides the service.  The fingerprints are then forwarded to the state police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for comparison with state and federal fingerprint databases.

House Bill 4042 would amend Public Act 372 of 1927, which pertains to the regulation of certain firearms and gas ejecting devices, to revise the fingerprinting requirements for renewing a concealed weapons permit.  Beginning January 1, 2007, an applicant who was applying for a renewal of a license issued under Section 5b of the act would not be required to have his or her fingerprints be taken again if all of the following conditions were met:

·                    A system has been established for the Department of State Police to save and maintain in its automated fingerprint identification system (AFIS) database all fingerprints submitted to the department under Section 5b.

·                    The applicant's fingerprints have been submitted to and maintained by the department as described above for ongoing comparison with the AFIS database.

MCL 28.425l

FISCAL IMPACT:

The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on state and local units of government.  Currently, the Department of State Police charges $54 to process a set of fingerprints ($30 for the state police portion and $24 for the FBI portion), and local police agencies may charge up to $15 to take the prints and forward them to the state police.

POSITIONS:

The Department of State Police supports the bill.  (6-28-06)

A representative of the Shooters Alliance for Firearms Rights (SAFR) testified in support of the bill.  (6-28-06)

The Great Lakes Shooting Sports Association indicated support for the bill.  (6-28-06)

The Michigan Association of County Clerks indicated support for the H-2 version of the bill.  (6-28-06)

                                                                                           Legislative Analyst:   Susan Stutzky

                                                                                                  Fiscal Analyst:   Jan Wisniewski

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.