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Michigan, Hawaii Launch ‘Tip Lines’ To Snitch On Gun Owners

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Eireann Van Natta General Assignment Reporter
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Michigan and Hawaii recently advanced tip lines aimed at preventing gun crime, but Second Amendment proponents warn these initiatives could be weaponized against law abiding citizens.

On Thursday, Democratic Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed into law an education funding bill – except it allocated money to establish an anonymous tip line for students to report improper storage of firearms, according to House Bill (HB) 5503.

The bill allocates up to $1 million for 2024-2025 to create a tip line at an intermediate district, according to the legislation. It also funds the creation of “educational materials” with information on how to report improperly stored guns. (RELATED: ‘Blatantly Unconstitutional’: Second Amendment Advocates Blast DNC Platform As Gun Control Nightmare)

The legislation notes that an “improperly stored firearm” is one stored in violation of Michigan’s Act 372 of 1927, a law that regulates how firearms are stored in the presence of minors.

Michigan previously enacted a “secure storage law,” according to a Michigan Health & Human Services press release in February. It mandates that unattended firearms are kept “unloaded and locked with a locking device or stored in a locked box or container” if a minor will likely be present.

Critics said this tip line was a rushed amendment to the education bill.

“HB 5503 is an omnibus education funding bill that was amended to include the ‘tipline’ language and swiftly passed through the legislature with hours,” the NRA-ILA wrote in a press release.

The organization argued that the program could culminate in searches by law enforcement, including in people’s homes and businesses. (RELATED: Gretchen Whitmer Just Did Something Very Weird With Doritos And A Girl On Her Knees)

Republicans in Michigan decried the move as an attack on civil liberties.

“This hotline is nothing more than a page out of the Stasi playbook – encouraging children to spy on their own families,” Republican State Rep. Angele Rigas told The Midwesterner.

Another Republican, State Sen. Thomas Albert, labeled the amendment “a tattletale provision,” according to the outlet.

“This is a dangerous step toward weaponizing children in households for the left, and an outrageous government overreach under the guise of public safety,” Rigas warned, according to The Midwesterner.

Democratic Hawaii Gov. Josh Green announced Wednesday that the Department of Law Enforcement (DLE) created a “Gun Tip Line” for individuals to anonymously report “illegal gun ownership and gun crimes,” according to a press release. (RELATED: Hawaii Supreme Court Claims ‘The Spirit Of Aloha’ Overrules The Second Amendment)

The announcement also encourages people to report the names of any suspects, their locations and descriptions of the firearms.

“The Gun Tip Line offers another way the public can assist law enforcement in protecting our neighborhoods,” DLE Director Jordan Lowe stated in the press release. He said stolen guns, unregistered firearms and “guns in the wrong hands” can lead to crime.

“So, if you see something, send something to the Gun Tip Line and help us make Hawai’i safer,” Lowe added.

Hawaii’s Supreme Court ruled in February against a state constitutional right to carry a firearm, the Daily Caller News Foundation reported.

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