Royal Oak Properly Drops Firearms Ban from Arts Beats & Eats Event

The Detroit News: Gun ban lifted at Arts, Beats & Eats - Royal Oak yields to state law, OKs carrying in plain sight

Bowing to pressure to conform to state law, the City Commission on Monday night struck down a gun ban in the festival contract to allow holstered guns in plain sight at the event Sept. 3-6.

"The law is the law," said Mayor Jim Ellison. "I don't agree with it, but we have the right to change that law so those gray issues are gone," he added, referring to modifying laws that allow guns in public.

Nice of him to agree that the law is the law, as much as he'd like to change it.

Nor is this some kind of a gray area - open carry on a public street is legal.

Not to be undone by open-carry advocates, city officials passed a resolution calling on state legislators to amend a law so local government can enact ordinances making public buildings gun-free zones.

That would be a bad idea, tried before and it wasn't a successful idea when Ferndale tried it then and it won't be now.

Even Granholm isn't enthusiastic about trying to make such a change:
The Detroit News: Granholm won't fight law that allows open weapons at Arts, Beats and Eats

Gov. Jennifer Granholm sympathized with those who want to restrict the open carrying of weapons at next month's Arts, Beats and Eats festival, but said she had no plans to seek a change to the state law that allows it.

"I could initiate, but I'd get no support in the Legislature," she said at an appearance in Mexicantown to boost a federal housing assistance program.

Probably not, considering there's no real problem with responsible people legally carrying firearms in public. Most likely Governor Granholm isn't interested in such a losing fight - she's not a committed anti-gunner and is generally considered not unreasonable on firearms rights.

Kudos to the City of Royal Oak government for doing the right thing - however reluctantly.