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ALPENA — A proposed bill package to allow Michiganders to conceal carry without a permit would put Michigan in league with 29 other permitless carry, or “constitutional carry” states if passed.

House Bills 5653, 5654, 5655, 5656, and 5657, would change Michigan law to allow for constitutional carry, meaning gun owners could conceal carry without a permit.

As the law stands now, those that would like to conceal carry must purchase a permit and take required gun safety courses.

State Rep. Cam Cavitt, R-Cheboygan, is a co-sponsor of the bill package.

“The Michigan constitution specifically addresses this. I think it’s even stronger than the federal. Michiganders have the right to carry.”

“Every person has a right to keep and bear arms for the defense of himself and the state,” the Michigan Constitution states in Article I, Section 6.

As a representative of Northeast Michigan, Cavitt tries to support the issues that Northeast Michiganders care most about, and the right to carry a gun is one of them.

“Gun culture is big in Northeast Michigan,” Cavitt said.

Some concerns with the bill package are whether it would allow for reciprocity, meaning that a Michigan resident could conceal carry in other states. The bill was written in a way that it would not allow someone to conceal carry in another state should they be visiting, Cavitt said. He said he thinks those concerns were alleviated.

Another concern is whether a bill loosening gun restrictions could cause an increase in gun violence. Cavitt says he does not think this would be the case.

“The people that do this are cowards,” he said, addressing concerns about mass shootings. “Oftentimes it is in a no gun zone, they go to these places where people don’t have guns.”

Cavitt said he thought loosened restrictions will deter gun violence since more carriers will be around to stop the people that resort to gun violence.

Cavitt said the bill is in the early stages and amendments could still be made in committee hearings.

“We’re trying to join the majority of states,” Cavitt said about the proposed bills.

Cavitt said that he sits on the Michigan board of directors of responsible gun owners and that they are also in support of the constitutional carry bills.

As for how the bill package would affect communities from a law enforcement standpoint, Alpena County Sheriff Erik Smith just said that he supports the lawful carrying of firearms.

He also said that the decision about conceal carry laws should be left up to the people of the State of Michigan.

“That should be left up to the people of the State of Michigan, but we also have our second amendment right,” Smith said.