Taking Down the Arguments in Favor of Michigan’s Waiting Period Proposal

March 25, 2026
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Michigan's latest gun control push—a proposed three-day waiting period for all firearm purchases—is back under the microscope, and it's crumbling faster than a wet paper target. Proponents claim it will curb impulsive suicides and mass shootings, pointing to studies like the 2017 RAND Corporation review that found supportive but limited evidence for waiting periods reducing suicides. But dig deeper, and the data unravels: a 2021 analysis by Johns Hopkins researchers showed no statistically significant drop in gun suicides in states with waiting periods after controlling for broader trends, while homicides actually ticked up in some cases. This isn't just cherry-picking; it's a pattern. California's 10-day wait hasn't stopped its skyrocketing violent crime rates, where firearms are already heavily restricted, proving delays don't deter the determined criminal—they just punish the law-abiding. The real sting for the 2A community? This is theater dressed as policy, infringing on the core right to self-defense without evidence of efficacy. Context matters: Michigan already runs robust NICS background checks, which catch prohibited buyers in seconds, and violent crime there is driven more by gang activity in cities like Detroit than impulse buys by hunters or home defenders. Proponents ignore that most mass shooters pass checks and plan meticulously, while defensive gun uses—estimated at 500,000 to 3 million annually by CDC data—happen in split seconds, not after a bureaucratic nap. Imposing delays echoes the failed 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, which sunsetted amid zero proven crime reduction, yet here we are debating it again. For gun owners, the implications are clear: fight this with facts at public hearings, flood legislators with data from the Crime Prevention Research Center showing concealed carry reduces crime, and support preemption efforts to shield local rights. Michigan's proposal isn't about safety—it's about control. Rally the community, because every common-sense delay chips away at the Second Amendment's immediacy, turning a fundamental right into a government permission slip. Stand firm; the data's on our side.

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Michigan’s latest gun control push—a proposed three-day waiting period for all firearm purchases—is back under the microscope, and it’s crumbling faster than a wet paper target. Proponents claim it will curb impulsive suicides and mass shootings, pointing to studies like the 2017 RAND Corporation review that found supportive but limited evidence for waiting periods reducing suicides. But dig deeper, and the data unravels: a 2021 analysis by Johns Hopkins researchers showed no statistically significant drop in gun suicides in states with waiting periods after controlling for broader trends, while homicides actually ticked up in some cases. This isn’t just cherry-picking; it’s a pattern. California’s 10-day wait hasn’t stopped its skyrocketing violent crime rates, where firearms are already heavily restricted, proving delays don’t deter the determined criminal—they just punish the law-abiding.

The real sting for the 2A community? This is theater dressed as policy, infringing on the core right to self-defense without evidence of efficacy. Context matters: Michigan already runs robust NICS background checks, which catch prohibited buyers in seconds, and violent crime there is driven more by gang activity in cities like Detroit than impulse buys by hunters or home defenders. Proponents ignore that most mass shooters pass checks and plan meticulously, while defensive gun uses—estimated at 500,000 to 3 million annually by CDC data—happen in split seconds, not after a bureaucratic nap. Imposing delays echoes the failed 1994 Assault Weapons Ban, which sunsetted amid zero proven crime reduction, yet here we are debating it again.

For gun owners, the implications are clear: fight this with facts at public hearings, flood legislators with data from the Crime Prevention Research Center showing concealed carry reduces crime, and support preemption efforts to shield local rights. Michigan’s proposal isn’t about safety—it’s about control. Rally the community, because every common-sense delay chips away at the Second Amendment’s immediacy, turning a fundamental right into a government permission slip. Stand firm; the data’s on our side.

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