Firearm law reference

Michigan Gun Laws: Complete Guide

A practical overview of Michigan firearm laws affecting private transfers, purchases, carrying, transportation, storage, and ownership.

Since February 13, 2024, Michigan's purchase-license and background-check framework applies to all firearms, not only pistols. Pistol sales records, CPL rules, safe storage, ERPOs, election-location restrictions, and federal law also require attention.

Michigan Gun Law Quick Facts

Start with the three rules most people need. The full comparison table covers the remaining purchase, carry, ownership, and restriction topics.

Minimum purchase age: Generally 18; dealer handgun 21
A licensed dealer must sell a handgun to someone 21 or older but can sell a rifle or shotgun to someone 18 or older, and a Michigan purchase-license applicant generally must be at least 18 regardless of firearm type; see the handgun and rifle/shotgun comparison table below. [2][20]
Permitless concealed carry: No
A person generally needs a Michigan CPL or qualifying exemption to carry a concealed pistol in public or in a vehicle. [4][6]
License to purchase: Generally required or exempted by statute
Michigan generally requires a license to purchase a firearm unless an exemption applies, including specified CPL, law-enforcement, federal-license, or recent dealer-check circumstances. [2][3]

Swipe horizontally to read the full table.

Law	Status	What it means
Private sale background check	Generally required	A private purchaser generally must obtain a license to purchase after an eligibility check or use another statutory route, such as dealer processing; exemptions depend on the purchaser and firearm. [2][3]
FFL required for private transfers	Not always; purchase license alternative	A qualifying intrastate private transfer may proceed on a valid purchase license without an FFL, while dealer processing is another route and interstate transfers ordinarily require an FFL. [2][19]
Waiting period	No general fixed period	Michigan imposes no general fixed waiting period once the purchase-license or dealer background-check requirements are satisfied. [2][21]
Firearm registration and records	Pistol transactions recorded	Pistol purchase licenses and sales records are returned to the licensing authority and maintained in confidential firearm records; non-pistol purchase licenses are not entered into the same registration database. [2][1]
Firearm owner license	No recurring general license	Michigan does not require a recurring general license merely to keep an otherwise lawful firearm after acquisition. [2][3]
Concealed Pistol License	Required for most concealed carry	County clerks issue CPLs after training, fingerprints, application, and eligibility review; licensees must carry the license and immediately disclose concealed pistol possession during a police stop. [4][5][6]
Open carry	Generally legal	A lawfully possessed holstered pistol carried openly and in plain view is generally not concealed, but prohibited premises and vehicle rules still apply. [6][14]
Castle doctrine / no duty to retreat	Yes, with conditions	Michigan law presumes deadly force is reasonable against someone breaking into or already inside an occupied dwelling, business, or vehicle, and imposes no duty to retreat on a person who has a legal right to be present and is not committing a crime. [17][16]
Vehicle carry	CPL generally required for loaded pistol	A pistol in a vehicle is generally treated as concealed carry unless a CPL or exemption applies; otherwise transport must satisfy Michigan's unloaded, enclosed, inaccessible, and lawful-purpose conditions. [3][6][24]
Magazine capacity	No state limit	Michigan imposes no general magazine-capacity restriction. [3][13]
Assault weapons	No state ban	Michigan has no state assault-weapon ban covering commonly owned semiautomatic firearms. [3][13]
NFA firearms	Generally federally regulated	Suppressors, short-barreled firearms, machine guns, and other NFA items are generally lawful when all federal requirements and ordinary Michigan possession rules are satisfied. [3][22]
Extreme risk protection orders	Yes	A Michigan ERPO can prohibit purchase and possession, suspend or revoke a CPL, and require immediate or prompt firearm surrender. [11]
Safe storage	Required when minors are present or likely	An unattended firearm on premises where a minor is or is likely to be present generally must be locked in a box or container or kept unloaded with an engaged locking device. [12]
Lost or stolen reporting	No general owner deadline	Michigan imposes no general statewide deadline on an ordinary owner to report a lost or stolen firearm, though prompt reporting aids recovery. [3]
State preemption	Broad	Michigan broadly preempts local regulation of firearm ownership, registration, purchase, sale, transfer, transportation, and possession, subject to statutory exceptions. [13]
Bill of sale	Official forms control	A separate bill of sale does not replace the purchase license, pistol sales record, seller return, or background-check requirements. [2][3]

Handgun and Rifle/Shotgun Rules in Michigan

Michigan's purchase-license and background-check framework applies the same way to a handgun as to a rifle or shotgun. The law diverges by firearm type mainly around dealer sale age and carrying: Michigan's concealed-weapon statute is written around pistols specifically, and vehicle carry treats a loaded pistol very differently from a loaded long gun.

Topic	Handguns	Rifles & shotguns
Minimum age to buy from a licensed dealer	21 (federal floor; a federally licensed dealer may not sell a pistol to someone younger)	18 (federal floor; a Michigan purchase-license applicant must also be at least 18) [2][20]
License required to carry concealed	Yes. A CPL or a specific statutory exemption is required to carry a pistol concealed on or about the person or in a vehicle.	No dedicated license. Michigan's concealed-weapon statute (MCL 750.227) is written around pistols, so carrying a rifle or shotgun does not by itself trigger the CPL requirement, though carry, transport, and location rules still apply. [9][6]
Carrying in a vehicle	Treated as concealed carry even if visible; a loaded pistol in a vehicle generally requires a CPL or exemption, otherwise it must be unloaded, cased, and in the trunk or inaccessible.	May never be loaded in a motor vehicle, regardless of any license; a rifle or shotgun must be unloaded and either cased, in the trunk, or otherwise inaccessible from the interior. [9][6]

GunList actions

Michigan Bill of Sale Find an FFL Guns for Sale in Michigan

Private Sales and Transfers

Quick answer

A private purchaser generally must present a valid license to purchase issued after an eligibility check or qualify for another statutory route; an FFL is not mandatory for every lawful same-state transfer. [2][3]

A purchase license is valid for 30 days. At the transfer, the seller and purchaser sign the license and identify the firearm; the seller may keep one copy and must give one to the purchaser. For a pistol, the seller must return the remaining copy to the licensing authority in person or by first-class or certified mail within 10 days. A non-pistol purchase license is not returned for entry in the pistol database. [2]
When the purchaser is exempt from obtaining a purchase license, the seller still completes the state sales record. Exempt purchasers include most Michigan CPL holders, federally licensed dealers, qualifying police officers, and a purchaser of a non-pistol firearm who had an FFL conduct a federal background check no more than five days earlier. A pistol sales record still must be returned within 10 days. [2][5]
A seller may not knowingly bypass the license process or sell a firearm or ammunition to someone the seller knows is under indictment for a qualifying felony or is prohibited under Michigan's felon and domestic-violence provision. Federal law ordinarily requires an interstate transfer between private residents to pass through an FFL in the recipient's state. [9][19]

Verify the purchaser's identity, Michigan residency, purchase license or precise exemption, and firearm eligibility; do not transfer based only on a verbal assurance that the purchaser may possess firearms. [2][9]
Complete and distribute every required official copy, including timely return of a pistol record by the seller. [2][1]

Important notice: A handwritten receipt cannot substitute for the statutory purchase-license and pistol-record process. [2]

Buying a Firearm

Michigan generally requires a purchase license for firearms unless an exemption applies. Local police or the county sheriff issues the license after eligibility review; dealer transfers use federal NICS or a qualifying alternative. Michigan has no separate fixed waiting period. [2][1][5][21]
A purchase-license applicant generally must be at least 18 and a legal Michigan resident. Federal law prevents an FFL from transferring a handgun to a person under 21, while Michigan's statute likewise sets 21 as the minimum when the firearm is a pistol and the seller is federally licensed. A person under 18 generally may not possess a firearm in public except under adult supervision or under specified hunting and range exceptions. [2][9][20]
The licensing authority checks pending charges, listed court orders and dispositions, felony and domestic-violence restrictions, mental-health adjudications, legal incapacity, and other statutory criteria. The purchase license expires if unused after 30 days. Even an exempt purchaser must follow the applicable sales-record process, and an FFL must comply with federal dealer rules. [2][5][21]

Ownership and Prohibited Persons

Michigan and federal law prohibit possession by specified felons, domestic-violence misdemeanants, people subject to qualifying orders, and other disqualified persons. An ERPO can bar purchase and possession and require surrender even without a criminal conviction. [3][11][21]
For a felony that is not a statutorily defined specified felony, Michigan's prohibition generally continues until three years after all fines are paid, imprisonment is served, and probation or parole is successfully completed. A Michigan misdemeanor involving domestic violence produces an eight-year prohibition measured from completion of those same obligations. [9]
A person convicted of a specified felony must wait five years after completing all fines, imprisonment, probation, and parole and must obtain restoration from the circuit court in the county of residence. The court requires clear and convincing evidence that the statutory conditions are met and that the person's record and reputation show the person is not likely to endanger others. An expunged, set-aside, or pardoned conviction is excluded unless the order or pardon expressly preserves the firearm disability; separate federal disabilities must still be evaluated. [2][9][21]

Concealed and Open Carry

Open carry of a plainly visible, lawfully possessed pistol is generally legal without a CPL, but concealed carry generally requires a CPL or a specific exemption. Placing a pistol in a vehicle is generally treated as concealed carry even if it is visible from outside, so ordinary open-carry rules do not authorize loaded vehicle carry. [6][9]
A Michigan CPL applicant must be at least 21, generally must have resided in Michigan for six months, must complete qualifying pistol-safety training, submit fingerprints, and satisfy the statutory criminal, court-order, and mental-health criteria. The residency period is waived in specified emergency circumstances and for a new resident who held a valid carry license from another state when Michigan residency began. [4][5]
While carrying concealed, a licensee must possess the CPL and state-issued identification, produce both on an officer's request, and immediately disclose the concealed pistol when stopped by a peace officer. Michigan recognizes an out-of-state carry license only for a visitor who is a resident of the issuing state; the visitor must follow the license's restrictions and Michigan's carry and location laws. [6][7]

Self-Defense and the Castle Doctrine in Michigan

Quick answer

Michigan law presumes deadly force is reasonable against someone breaking into or already present in an occupied dwelling, business, or vehicle, and imposes no duty to retreat on a person who has a legal right to be present, did not provoke the confrontation, and is not committing a crime. A criminal-law justification does not by itself guarantee protection from a civil lawsuit. [17][16]

The Michigan Constitution, Article I, Section 6, protects the right of every person to keep and bear arms for the defense of themselves and the state. [15]
The Self-Defense Act (MCL 780.971-780.974) allows a person who is not committing a crime to use deadly force, without a duty to retreat, anywhere the person has a legal right to be if the person honestly and reasonably believes it is necessary to prevent imminent death, great bodily harm, or sexual assault to themselves or another. The same no-duty-to-retreat standard applies to non-deadly force used to prevent an imminent unlawful use of force. [16]
A separate presumption statute, MCL 780.951, presumes that a person who uses deadly or non-deadly force honestly and reasonably believed it was necessary to prevent imminent death, great bodily harm, or sexual assault when the person against whom force was used was breaking and entering, had broken into, or was committing a home invasion of an occupied dwelling or business premises, or was unlawfully trying to remove someone from a dwelling, business, or occupied vehicle against their will. The presumption does not apply if the other person had a legal right to be there, unless a protective order or no-contact condition applied against them, or if the person claiming the presumption was engaged in criminal activity or provoked the encounter. [17]

Important notice: Even when force is legally justified, that justification does not automatically prevent a civil lawsuit for the same conduct. MCL 600.2922b provides civil immunity for deadly or other-than-deadly force used in compliance with the Self-Defense Act, but immunity questions are fact-specific and contested in court. Get individualized legal advice before relying on any of this content in an actual confrontation. [18][16]

Transportation and Vehicles

A pistol in a vehicle generally requires a valid CPL or another exemption. Without one, a pistol transported for a lawful purpose must be unloaded in a closed case designed for firearms and placed in the trunk; in a vehicle without a trunk, the closed case must not be readily accessible to the occupants. Merely displaying the pistol openly inside the vehicle does not convert it into lawful open carry. [6][9]
Different rules cover rifles and shotguns. A non-pistol firearm may not be loaded in a motor vehicle or other mechanically propelled vehicle and, for land travel, must be unloaded and either taken down, enclosed in a case, carried in the trunk, or inaccessible from the vehicle's interior. [9]
Federal safe passage may protect an interstate traveler who may lawfully possess and carry the firearm at both the origin and destination when the firearm and ammunition are not readily accessible; in a vehicle without a separate trunk, they must be in a locked container other than the glove compartment or console. That protection does not replace Michigan carry rules during stops or activities outside qualifying interstate transportation. [24]

Restricted Firearms and Magazines

Michigan has no general magazine limit or assault-weapon ban. Federally registered suppressors, short-barreled firearms, machine guns, and other NFA items are generally allowed, but prohibited-person, carry, hunting, and federal transfer rules still apply. [3][9][22]
Michigan's machine-gun and silencer prohibition contains an exception for a person federally licensed to manufacture, sell, or possess the item. Its short-barreled rifle and shotgun prohibition does not apply when the firearm is lawfully made, transferred, or possessed under federal law. Federal approval should therefore be completed before taking possession or making the regulated firearm. [9][22]
A federally lawful short-barreled rifle or shotgun measuring 26 inches or less is also subject to Michigan's purchase-license or sales-record provisions. For one measuring more than 26 inches, a nonmanufacturer must carry a copy of the federal registration while transporting or using it and present that registration to a peace officer on request. [9][2][22]

Safe Storage and Reporting

An unattended firearm where a minor is or is likely to be present generally must be stored in a locked box or container or unloaded and secured with a properly engaged locking device. Penalties increase if a minor obtains, possesses, exhibits, injures with, or kills with the firearm. Michigan has no general owner deadline for reporting loss or theft. [12][3]
The rule applies both on premises controlled by the firearm owner and when someone leaves a firearm unattended on another person's premises. Before entering another's premises, the visitor may instead secure the firearm in a locked box in a locked vehicle, or leave it unloaded with an engaged locking device in the locked vehicle. [12]
Statutory exceptions cover a minor's permitted and supervised possession for employment, farming or ranching, target practice, or instruction; lawful hunting with parental permission; a minor who obtains the firearm through unlawful entry; and lawful self-defense or defense of another. Although Michigan sets no general owner reporting deadline for a lost or stolen firearm, prompt reporting gives law enforcement the identifying information needed to document and recover it. [12][3]

Restricted Locations and Private Property

Michigan uses different location rules for an unlicensed person and for concealed carry under a CPL. The general premises statute restricts possession in banks, houses of worship, courts, theaters, sports arenas, day-care centers, hospitals, and liquor-licensed establishments, but expressly exempts a person licensed by Michigan or another state to carry concealed, a person with the owner's permission, peace officers, and specified security personnel. [9][14]
A CPL does not authorize concealed carry everywhere. Michigan CPL holders and recognized out-of-state licensees generally may not carry concealed in K-12 schools or school property, day-care facilities, sports arenas or stadiums, taverns whose primary income is on-premises liquor by the glass, places of worship without permission, entertainment facilities seating 2,500 or more, hospitals, college or university dormitories and classrooms, or casinos. The statutory list generally excludes parking areas, and a parent or guardian may keep a concealed pistol in a vehicle while dropping off or picking up a student. [8][4][7]
Separate election rules restrict firearms at polling places, early-voting sites, ballot drop boxes, clerk offices, and absent-voter counting locations, with distance, timing, vehicle, private-property, CPL, and law-enforcement exceptions that vary by location. At an absent-voter counting place while ballots are processed, the statute's exception is limited to a uniformed law-enforcement officer acting in the course of duty. Private owners may also forbid firearms; Michigan does not prescribe a universal sign format that overrides the need to obey an owner's notice or leave when directed. [14][9][3][10]

State Preemption and Local Rules

MCL 123.1102 broadly prevents a county, city, village, or township from specially taxing or independently regulating firearm or ammunition ownership, registration, purchase, sale, transfer, transportation, or possession unless federal or Michigan law authorizes it. The statute also covers pneumatic guns and firearm components. [13]
A local government may regulate conduct with a firearm that is already a state crime and may regulate its own employees' transportation, carrying, or possession of firearms during their employment. Cities and charter townships may also prohibit firearm discharge within their jurisdictions. [13]
Preemption does not erase state location restrictions, private-property rights, or generally applicable criminal laws. Local discharge ordinances and rules governing local employees therefore still matter even though a municipality generally cannot create a separate public carry, registration, transfer, or possession code. [13][9]

Before Completing a Private Firearm Sale in Michigan

Verify identity, residency, purchase-license status or exemption, and eligibility before a private transfer. [2]
Complete the correct official form and return any pistol record within the statutory deadline. [2][1]
Use an FFL for interstate transfers and whenever the proper private-sale process is uncertain. [19]
Obtain a CPL before concealed or loaded vehicle carry and review prohibited premises. [4][6]
Secure unattended firearms when a minor is or is likely to be present. [12]
Complete all federal requirements before acquiring an NFA firearm. [22]

Official Michigan Firearm Law Resources

Michigan State Police Firearms

Official CPL, firearm records, forms, reciprocity, and prohibited-premises resources.

Michigan State Police

Firearms Act

Purchase licenses, pistol records, CPL provisions, and safe-storage law.

Michigan Legislature

Firearms Laws of Michigan

Compiled current statutes governing acquisition, possession, carry, and transport.

Michigan Legislature

CPL Requirements

Eligibility, disqualifications, training, and prohibited-premises information.

Michigan State Police

Michigan Constitution, Article I, Section 6

The state constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

Michigan Legislature

Self-Defense Act

Use of deadly and non-deadly force in self-defense and the no-duty-to-retreat standard.

Michigan Legislature

Presumption Regarding Self-Defense

The castle-doctrine presumption for force used against an intruder in a dwelling, business, or vehicle.

Michigan Legislature

Immunity From Civil Liability for Self-Defense

Civil-liability immunity for force used in compliance with the Self-Defense Act.

Michigan Legislature

Extreme Risk Protection Order Act

Petition, order, surrender, seizure, and return procedures.

Michigan Legislature

Firearm Preemption

Limits on local firearm regulation.

Michigan Legislature

Michigan Gun Law FAQ

What is the minimum age to buy a gun in Michigan?

A federally licensed dealer may not sell a handgun to someone under 21, but may sell a rifle or shotgun to someone 18 or older. A Michigan purchase-license applicant generally must be at least 18 regardless of firearm type.

[2][20]

Are background checks required for private gun sales in Michigan?

Generally yes through the purchase-license eligibility process or another statutory route. A lawful same-state private transfer does not always require an FFL, but official forms and eligibility requirements still apply.

[2][3]

Do you need a permit to buy a gun in Michigan?

Michigan generally requires a license to purchase a firearm unless a statutory exemption applies, such as specified CPL, law-enforcement, federal-license, or recent dealer-background-check circumstances.

[2]

Can you carry a concealed gun without a permit in Michigan?

Generally no. Concealed public carry and loaded pistol carry in a vehicle ordinarily require a Michigan CPL or qualifying exemption.

[4][6]

Is open carry legal in Michigan?

Generally yes when a lawfully possessed pistol is openly carried in plain view, but prohibited premises, vehicle rules, age, and other restrictions remain.

[6][14]

Can you carry a loaded pistol in a vehicle in Michigan?

Generally only with a valid CPL or exemption. Otherwise transport must comply with unloaded, enclosed, inaccessible, and lawful-purpose requirements.

[3][6]

How often do you have to renew a Michigan CPL?

A Michigan CPL is valid for no less than 4 and no more than 5 years, expiring on the license holder's birthday, and can be renewed online or by mail up to six months before it expires.

[23][5]

Does Michigan have a castle doctrine or stand-your-ground law?

Yes. Michigan presumes deadly force is reasonable against someone breaking into or already present in an occupied dwelling, business, or vehicle, and imposes no duty to retreat on a person who has a legal right to be present and is not committing a crime.

[17][16]

Does Michigan have a gun waiting period?

No general fixed state waiting period applies after the required purchase license or dealer background check is complete.

[2][21]

Are suppressors legal in Michigan?

Generally yes when all federal National Firearms Act requirements and ordinary Michigan possession rules are satisfied.

[3][22]

Does Michigan limit magazine capacity or ban assault weapons?

Michigan has no general state magazine-capacity limit or assault-weapon ban for commonly owned semiautomatic firearms.

[3][13]

What disqualifies someone from owning a gun in Michigan?

Michigan and federal law bar possession by specified felons, domestic-violence misdemeanants, people subject to qualifying court orders, and other disqualified persons; an ERPO can add a separate, non-conviction-based bar. Restoration timelines and procedures vary by the type of conviction.

[9][2][21]

Do you have to register a gun in Michigan?

There is no general firearm registry, but pistol purchase licenses and pistol sales records are returned to the licensing authority and kept in confidential firearm records; non-pistol purchase licenses are not entered into that same database.

[2][1]

Does Michigan have a red flag law?

Yes. A qualifying petitioner may seek an ERPO that bars firearm purchase and possession, affects the respondent's CPL, and requires surrender.

[11]

Does Michigan require safe firearm storage?

Yes when an unattended firearm is on premises where a minor is or is likely to be present. It generally must be locked in a container or kept unloaded with an engaged locking device.

[12]

Does Michigan recognize concealed carry permits from other states?

Michigan generally recognizes a qualifying concealed pistol license issued by another state only while the holder is a resident of that issuing state, subject to Michigan law.

[7][6]

Is a bill of sale enough for a private firearm sale in Michigan?

No. A receipt does not replace the purchase license, required sales record, seller return obligations, or background-check process.

[2]

Sources

Educational information only, not legal advice.

GunList does not provide legal advice and does not guarantee that this guide covers every law, exception, court ruling, or local ordinance. Laws and court orders can change quickly. Verify current requirements through official government sources or consult a qualified attorney before possessing, carrying, buying, selling, or transporting a firearm, or before relying on any self-defense or castle-doctrine provision.

Reading or using this guide does not create an attorney-client relationship with GunList, and GunList disclaims liability for any loss or harm arising from reliance on this content. A criminal-law justification for using force does not guarantee protection from civil liability; use-of-force outcomes are fact-specific and high-stakes, so consult a qualified attorney before acting.