This week, the Michigan Senate passed common-sense gun safety reform after MAGA Matt Hall’s violent past once again made the rounds this weekend
LANSING — Let’s compare and contrast the week some of our legislative leaders had: on one side of the aisle, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks, the first woman to serve as Senate Majority Leader in Michigan, had her portrait unveiled in the Capitol, a historic moment for our state and the powerful female leaders who fight every day to grow the middle class and protect our democracy.
On the other side of the aisle… this week brought more attention to MAGA Matt Hall’s violent past. MIRS dropped a story detailing how Michigan Democrats are turning up the heat on MAGA Matt and his extremist caucus as they continue to attack our democracy and make Michiganders less safe.
Meanwhile, Senate Democrats passed vital domestic violence gun reform legislation that will save countless innocent lives – legislation that MAGA Matt has been a vocal opponent of. The stark difference between a GOP leader who once threatened to shoot someone and a party trying to end gun violence could not be clearer.
Read below for more details on this week’s happenings:
The week started with a MIRS story about Michigan Democrats putting additional pressure on MAGA Matt Hall for his dangerous past, questioning his ability to lead his caucus. This story comes on the heels of Michigan Dems launching a two-week digital ad campaign targeting MAGA Matt Hall following the shocking revelations of his abusive past. The ads, as mentioned in MIRS and The Gander, target swing voters across Hall’s district by highlighting the threatening messages he sent to another college student:
MIRS: Democrats Turning Up Heat On Matt Hall
- For the last two weeks, the MDP has highlighted … an issue Hall created in 2001 when he sent a couple of emails to a fellow college student reading, “I’ve got a shotgun rifle and I just put a bullet in it with your name on it…”
- The MDP is also attempting to tie Hall to the party’s most extreme elements of the conservative movement. He’s been a convention delegate for former President Donald TRUMP in the past.
- Hall also endorsed “election denier” Matt DePERNO for Attorney General and chaired a committee hearing that heard election conspiracies from Rudy GIULIANI. Hall, himself, has not embraced election conspiracies, however…
- “This is about what is at stake in the next election, and how critical it is for Democrats to hold the House,” said MDP spokesperson Tommy KUBITSCHEK. “Matt Hall’s continued pandering to extremists, violent history and disregard for the needs of the middle class are disqualifying and deeply out of touch with the values of Michiganders. We will be there every step of the way to hold him and the MAGA Republican caucus accountable.”
Despite MAGA Matt Hall being one of the most vocal opponents of overwhelmingly popular common-sense gun safety reforms – Michigan Senate Democrats stepped up and passed domestic violence gun reform to keep Michiganders safe:
Michigan Public Radio: Michigan Senate passes domestic violence gun legislation
- The legislation would prevent anyone convicted of a domestic violence-related misdemeanor from owning a gun until eight years after they complete their sentence.
- “We did that in consultation with domestic violence groups and law enforcement groups that do this work every day,” Chang said.
A huge part of Senate Democratic success on legislation like this has been thanks to Democratic Majority Leader Winnie Brinks (D-Grand Rapids), who was honored with a portrait as the first female Senate Majority Leader in Michigan history on the International Day of the Girl Child:
The Gander: Exclusive: 32 Questions with Michigan Senate Majority Leader Winnie Brinks
- In 2012, when I first decided to run, when I was recruited to run, there was a local Republican who said: “Oh yeah, I’ve heard of her. She’s a nice lady, but she can’t win.” And I just remember thinking: “I don’t think they say that about men.” Since when is being nice a problem, right?
- I think the expectation that girls and women were not part of the political arena for so many decades certainly contributed to making it really difficult for women to rise through the ranks—even if they were able to achieve election to public office.
We are so thankful for leaders like Sen. Winnie Brinks who prove time and time again that representation, and leadership, matter. While Michigan Republicans clearly don’t even know what leadership looks like, Michigan Democrats are hard at work to deliver a safer, brighter future for all Michiganders this week.
Til next week,
Michigan Dems
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