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Owners can ban firearms from their private establishments, regardless of open carry rights and concealed carry laws. Other banned places include churches (except with permission of church leaders), courts, theaters, sports arenas that seat 2,500 or more people, day care centers, hospitals, casinos, and places where the licensed sale of alcohol, consumed on the premises, is the primary source of income. They include schools, though parents and guardians with concealed pistol licenses may carry a firearm in a vehicle on school property while picking up or dropping off a child.
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Places in Michigan where "open carry" is generally banned tend to be the same "gun-free zones" where concealed carry is generally banned. Michigan is a "shall issue" state for concealed pistol licenses, meaning anyone 21 or older can obtain one provided they are not otherwise prohibited, they pay the required fee, and complete required firearms safety training.
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Michigan residents can also obtain permits to carry concealed handguns. This is known as "open carry," and it is legal because there is no law prohibiting it. Though there are restrictions, it is generally legal to carry a firearm in public in Michigan as long as the intent is lawful and the firearm is not concealed, according to the Michigan State Police. More: Former village police chief sentenced to prison in firearms scheme Where and how can a weapon be legally carried in Michigan? More: Michigan Supreme Court: Schools can ban guns on school property
#WHA TYPES OF GUNS CAN I OWN LICENSE#
Prospective handgun purchasers can appear at any local law enforcement agency and, after successfully passing the background check, can obtain a purchase license after signing a sworn statement that they meet Michigan qualifications. Under Michigan law, handgun buyers are subject to a background check by the Michigan State Police in order to obtain the required purchase license. Some private sales, including sales by unlicensed dealers that happen online or at gun shows, are not subject to federal background checks and recording requirements.
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Is a background check required?įederally licensed dealers - but not private sellers - are generally required to conduct background checks on gun purchasers.Ī Michigan resident can purchase an AR-15 - a semi-automatic rifle frequently used by mass shooters - in anywhere from less than an hour to a few days, through a federally licensed dealer, by answering a questionnaire and waiting for a federal background check to clear with the FBI through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System. Though laws vary from state to state, purchasing handguns generally requires more paperwork than purchasing long guns because handguns are statistically more likely to be used for crimes, while long guns are more likely to be used for recreational purposes such as hunting, said Robert Spitzer, chairman of the political science department at State University of New York Cortland and the author of five books on gun policy.
#WHA TYPES OF GUNS CAN I OWN REGISTRATION#
Though Michigan does not have a firearm registration system, gun sellers are required to keep records of sales and sales of handguns must be reported to law enforcement.īuying a handgun requires a purchase license, except when buying from a federally licensed dealer who runs a background check and provides a record of sale to be filed with the purchaser's local police department.īuying a long gun - one that is more than 26 inches in length and is generally described as a rifle or shotgun - does not require a purchase license. State and federal laws bar certain other people of legal age from legally buying handguns, including anyone not a citizen or legal resident, anyone under a court order of involuntary mental health treatment or deemed legally incapacitated under state law, and anyone subject to a domestic personal protection order under state law. To purchase a handgun from a federally licensed dealer, you must be at least 21.Īnyone convicted of a felony is barred from possessing a firearm under federal law, as is anyone convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence. You must be at least 18 to purchase a gun in Michigan. State and federal laws don't treat gun purchases identically. Even many of the staunchest proponents of Second Amendment rights say there are some gun control measures they would not oppose.
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