HOUSE BILL No. 4861

 

June 2, 2005, Introduced by Reps. Ball, Jones and Schuitmaker and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.

 

     A bill to amend 1931 PA 328, entitled

 

"The Michigan penal code,"

 

by amending sections 224 and 224d (MCL 750.224 and 750.224d),

 

section 224 as amended by 1991 PA 33 and section 224d as amended by

 

1992 PA 4.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 224. (1) A person shall not manufacture, sell, offer for

 

sale, or possess any of the following:

 

     (a) A machine gun or firearm that shoots or is designed to

 

shoot automatically more than 1 shot without manual reloading, by a

 

single function of the trigger.

 

     (b) A muffler or silencer.

 

     (c) A bomb or bombshell.

 

     (d) A blackjack, slungshot, billy, metallic knuckles, sand


 

club, sand bag, or bludgeon.

 

     (e) A device, weapon, cartridge, container, or contrivance

 

designed to render a person temporarily or permanently disabled by

 

the ejection, release, or emission of a gas or other substance.

 

     (2) A person who violates subsection (1) is guilty of a

 

felony, punishable by imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or a

 

fine of not more than $2,500.00, or both.

 

     (3) Subsection (1) does not apply to any of the following:

 

     (a) A self-defense spray or foam device as defined in section

 

224d.

 

     (b) A person manufacturing firearms, explosives, or munitions

 

of war by virtue of a contract with a department of the government

 

of the United States.

 

     (c) A person licensed by the secretary of the treasury of the

 

United States or the secretary's delegate to manufacture, sell, or

 

possess a machine gun, or a device, weapon, cartridge, container,

 

or contrivance described in subsection (1).

 

     (4) As used in this chapter, "muffler" or "silencer" means 1

 

or more of the following:

 

     (a) A device for muffling, silencing, or deadening the report

 

of a firearm.

 

     (b) A combination of parts, designed or redesigned, and

 

intended for use in assembling or fabricating a muffler or

 

silencer.

 

     (c) A part, designed or redesigned, and intended only for use

 

in assembling or fabricating a muffler or silencer.

 

     Sec. 224d. (1) As used in this section and section 224, "self-


 

defense spray or foam device" means a device to which all of the

 

following apply:

 

     (a) The device is capable of carrying, and ejects, releases,

 

or emits 1 of the following:

 

     (i) Not more than 35 grams of any combination of

 

orthochlorobenzalmalononitrile and inert ingredients.

 

     (ii) A solution containing  not more than 2%  10% oleoresin

 

capsicum.

 

     (b) The device does not eject, release, or emit any gas or

 

substance that will temporarily or permanently disable,

 

incapacitate, injure, or harm a person with whom the gas or

 

substance comes in contact, other than the substance described in

 

subdivision (a)(i) or (ii).

 

     (2) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a person who

 

uses a self-defense spray or foam device to eject, release, or emit

 

orthochlorobenzalmalononitrile or oleoresin capsicum at another

 

person is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment for

 

not more than 2 years, or a fine of not more than $2,000.00, or

 

both.

 

     (3) If a person uses a self-defense spray or foam device

 

during the commission of a crime to eject, release, or emit

 

orthochlorobenzalmalononitrile or oleoresin capsicum or threatens

 

to use a self-defense spray or foam device during the commission of

 

a crime to temporarily or permanently disable another person, the

 

judge who imposes sentence upon a conviction for that crime shall

 

consider the defendant's use or threatened use of the self-defense

 

spray or foam device as a reason for enhancing the sentence.


 

     (4) A person shall not sell a self-defense spray or foam

 

device to a minor. A person who violates this subsection is guilty

 

of a misdemeanor.

 

     (5) Subsection (2) does not prohibit  either  any of the

 

following:

 

     (a) The reasonable use of a self-defense spray or foam device

 

containing not more than 2% oleoresin capsicum by a law enforcement

 

officer in the performance of the law enforcement officer's duty.

 

     (b) The reasonable use of a self-defense spray or foam device

 

containing not more than 10% oleoresin capsicum by a person who is

 

employed by a county sheriff or a chief of police and who is

 

authorized in writing by the county sheriff or chief of police to

 

carry and use a self-defense spray or foam device, while in

 

performance of his or her duties.

 

     (c)  (b)  The reasonable use of a self-defense spray or foam

 

device containing not more than 2% oleoresin capsicum by a person

 

in the protection of a person or property under circumstances which

 

would justify the person's use of physical force.