Email from MCRGO   MICHIGAN COALITION FOR RESPONSIBLE GUN OWNERS "Promoting safe use and ownership of firearms through education, litigation, and legislation." MONDAY E'NEWS   MCRGO Instructor Reacts to the Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force Report I was one of the Michigan firearms instructors asked to be a part of the group known as the "Michigan Gun Violence Prevention Task Force," instituted by Governor Whitmer's Executive Order 2024-4. I had previously been involved with Michigan State University in a study series developing safe storage videos. I was skeptical but hopeful that this task force would hear some reasonable suggestions that would then take root. Unfortunately, the report that has come out is nothing short of radical gun control propaganda. A lot of time and taxpayer money could have been saved by asking ChatGPT to generate an agenda for future gun control legislation. Here is my open letter I sent to April Stevens, Communications Liaison for the Office of the Chief Medical Executive, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Before anyone says, "Why? You should have known this would be the outcome!" Let me say this... If Second Amendment supporters don't get involved, there will never be a chance for change or preserving the rights our Founding Fathers sought to protect by adding the Bill of Rights to our Constitution. If you never make your voice heard, you're giving your opponents a green light to do as they wish. ----------------- Dear April, Thank you for including me in the task force and for sharing the final report. As a Michigan firearms owner and certified firearms safety instructor with more than twelve years of experience, I entered this process in good faith and remain fully supportive of voluntary, evidence-based measures—particularly expanded education and safe-storage practices—that can reduce unintentional injuries and suicides without infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens. After careful review, however, I must state clearly and unequivocally that I cannot endorse this report. The specific policy recommendations it advances do not reflect the input of the firearms instructors and responsible gun owners who participated. On the contrary, the great majority of these recommendations are ones that every Second Amendment-respecting participant I know—including myself—has consistently opposed because they constitute direct restrictions on the individual right to keep and bear arms that is explicitly protected by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution and by Article I, Section 6 of the Michigan Constitution (“Every person has a right to keep and bear arms for the defense of himself and the state”). Rather than representing a balanced, broad-consensus public-health approach, the final document reads as a predetermined set of new legal mandates that law-abiding Michigan gun owners have long viewed as infringements. I do not believe any participant who honors the constitutional guarantees cited above would have agreed to the recommendations now being presented under the banner of this task force. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to have had a seat at the table, but I am deeply disappointed that the final product effectively disregards the perspective of the very people who teach firearm safety and exercise these rights daily. Accordingly, I must withhold my endorsement and register my firm opposition to the report as it currently stands. Respectfully, Avery Smith 906 Defense LLC Marquette, MI MCRGO & NRA Certified Instructor UPCOMING EVENTS MCRGO 2025 Annual Meeting Friday, December 5, 2025, from 11 AM to 2 PM EST Coral Gables Restaurant, 2838 Grand River Ave, East Lansing, MI 48823 MCRGO will provide a pizza and salad buffet along with non-alcoholic beverages. The annual meeting is open to current MCRGO members. Please RSVP to [email protected]. Outdoorama Thursday-Sunday, February 19-22, 2026, Hours Vary by Day Suburban Collection Showplace, 46100 Grand River Ave.; Novi, MI 48374 MCRGO's booth number is 5415. Ultimate Sports Show Thursday-Sunday, March 12-15, 2026, Hours Vary by Day DeVos Place, 303 Monroe Ave. NW; Grand Rapids, MI 49503 MCRGO's booth number is 2153. NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits Thursday-Sunday, April 16-19, 2026, Hours Vary by Day George R. Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida De Las Americas, Houston, TX 77010 MCRGO will represent Michigan at Friday's State Clubs & Associations Workshop More information is available HERE. MCRGO | PO Box 2294 | Grand Rapids, MI 49501 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice