Just six weeks ago, on Jan. 2, Michigan Governor John Engler signed a bill into law that makes Michigan one of 27 states in the country with a "shall issue" policy for permits to carry concealed weapons—known as CCW permits.

Engler's action means that as of July 1, 2001, Michigan residents need only be 21 or older, free of a criminal record and by their own account not under psychiatric care, to receive a CCW permit. Right now, state law requires applicants to prove to County Gun Boards that they have a need to carry a concealed weapon.

Advocates Take Action
The new law has galvanized Michigan activists, including my partner Michele Strasz and me. When it was first proposed, back in 1999, we alerted the readers of our online advocacy magazine, JumpStart Michigan about it. Now that it has been passed and signed, we have joined a statewide petition drive to put this issue on the ballot in the next Gubernatorial election in November 2002. We have until March 27th to get at least 151,000 valid, certified signatures. Our goal is to collect at least 225,000 signatures.

A leader in advocating against this bill is Wayne County Prosecutor Michael Duggan. (Wayne County includes metro Detroit.) Duggan made it known that he and Jennifer Granholm, Michigan's Attorney General, were outraged at how the law was passed. He and the People Who Care About Kids Initiative launched the petition drive last month.

Mitch Albom, a Detroit radio talk show host (also broadcast nationally and seen on MSNBC), gave a good deal of airtime to Mike to discuss this issue. I heard Mike give listeners the phone number and web address for his initiative, and I called and asked to get involved.

Making Connections
Not having much in the way of volunteer time, I offered our action alert e-mail connections. A little over a month ago, I went to the first meeting of the Metro Detroit group, a coalition of over 40 people from wide-ranging organizations. It reminded me in the most positive ways of the meetings I attended back in the 60s and 70s to fight for peace in Vietnam. However, I wondered why there weren't more child advocates at the table.

We seized upon the various Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebrations as great venues for collecting signatures. Some people collected signatures at the North American Auto Show. Some went to movie theaters. I have taken petitions to parenting education fairs, child care groups and to every school and social situation I've attended! And I personally have had very few refusals to sign.

The drive is meeting opposition from some gun owners. You can read "Soccer Moms Enlist in Battle Over Guns" in the Detroit Free Press. Moms opposed to the ballot initiative said they would pull their children from the soccer league if other moms, associated with the Million Moms group, didn't stop circulating petitions on the sidelines. Facility owners asked the petitioners to leave.

Share Your Stories
Gun owners are also approaching the owners and managers of shops and businesses who allow petitions to be circulated on their premises, and threatening to take their business elsewhere. It's interesting to watch the gun owners make use of that great tool of the 1960s... BOYCOTTS! Personally, I love this! Consumer boycotts work. The challenge now is to answer back by having petition supporters boycott businesses that ban our efforts to gather signatures.

More to come on this petition drive. We are currently at 125,000 valid signatures, with just over a month left to reach our goal. If you have "shall issue" CCW laws in your state, please tell me what effects you have seen in terms of increased gun ownership, increased accidental deaths, increased danger to children and related issues. There are 26 other states that have this kind of law. Let's hear from you!