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Michigan issues CCW permits at the county level, and this is done by the clerk in charge.

The state has a shall-issue policy, and as long as you meet all Michigan concealed carry permit requirements, your application will be granted.

Michigan only issues resident’s permits. Before you can obtain a non-resident license, there are conditions to be met, and this is only in rare circumstances too.

As a non-resident in Michigan, you are also not allowed to purchase handguns, only long guns, and this is after you have met all other requirements.

Michigan Gun Laws

You can conceal carry in Michigan with the state’s Concealed Pistol License (CPL) that serves as the CCW permit.

Michigan only issues CCW permits to both residents and non-residents who have an already issued license from their state of residence.

Another way you can get a resident’s permit without living in the state is if you are a military member posted for service in the state.

Peace officers and law enforcement officers do not require a CPL or a CCW permit to conceal carry in the state.

As a resident of Michigan, you need to undergo a required firearm training before you can get the CCW permit. The training must be an approved Michigan concealed carry permit class.

Other laws about concealed carrying include location restrictions, sales, and purchase laws, etc.

Michigan CCW Reciprocity

Michigan honors a CCW permit from every other state in the country, as long as you meet the age requirement to possess a gun.

Other aspects of Michigan Reciprocity include the following:

  • States that Michigan will accept their CCW permit: This includes every state in America, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Ricco. But you must be at least twenty-one years old before Michigan honors your state’s CCW permit.
  • States that Honors Michigan’s CCW permits: These states will honor any type of CCW permit from Michigan. There are twenty-one of them.
  • States that have restricted reciprocity with Michigan: These states will not honor any other type of Michigan CCW permit except the one that carries the “residents only” tag. There are four of them.
  • States with permitless carry: You can conceal carry in these states without a permit. They operate on a permitless policy for CCW. However, you must be of the required age stated by the state’s CCW laws. Also, depending on the state, other restrictions might apply to a permitless carry.

Even if any state you are visiting accepts Michigan concealed carry permit, you still have to handle your firearm as per the state rules and regulations.

Therefore, you must get familiar with every state gun laws before you choose to conceal carry in such states.

Note that, because a state accepts Michigan CCW permit does not mean that such a state has the same gun laws as Michigan.

Michigan Location Restrictions

Even if you have a Michigan CCW permit, you are not allowed to conceal carry in every place.

Michigan gun laws restrict the possession of firearms in locations like schools and other public places.

You have to abide by the laws at all times. If you are found with a gun in any of these off-limit places, you will be arrested and charged.

Places Where You Cannot Conceal Carry In Michigan.

  • You cannot conceal carry in private and public elementary schools. This includes preteen schools as well as any vehicle used for the transportation of school students. An exception to this is school parents or guardians dropping off their wards in school premises. They are only allowed to conceal carry within the vehicle.
  • You cannot conceal carry in a building or property used for children’s care or any daycare center, either government or privately owned.
  • You cannot conceal carry within halls of residence of a college, technical institution, or a university.
  • You cannot conceal carry in a stadium or anywhere that is used for a professional sporting activity.
  • You cannot conceal carry in bars where the primary source of income is the sales of alcohol.
  • You cannot conceal carry in places of worship such as churches, mosques, temples, or synagogues. An exception to this is if the person in charge of the place. An example is when the head pastor or imam permits the possession of guns.
  • You cannot conceal carry in a facility with more than two thousand five hundred holding capacity.
  • You cannot conceal carry in a hospital or any other health institution.
  • You cannot conceal carry in Michigan state university or Wayne University. Except for special cases such as visitors with Michigan CCW permits.
  • You cannot conceal carry in restricted airport areas.
  • You cannot conceal carry inside game houses or casinos.
  • You cannot conceal carry in courthouses or offices within a courtyard that is used by chief judges and other judicial workers. An exception to this is if the judge has a written policy to allow the use of firearms.
  • You cannot conceal carry in areas where the use of firearms has been prohibited by federal laws of the United States.

Places Where You Can Conceal Carry In Michigan

Contrary to most opinions, Michigan gun laws do not prohibit you from conceal carrying in the following places:

  • Restaurants and bar ventures: You are only allowed to conceal carry within the restaurants’ area except if there is a post that prohibits you from the possession of a weapon. Note that you are not allowed to conceal carry under the influence of alcohol and in bars.
  • Personal Vehicles: You are allowed to conceal carry in your private vehicle as long as you have a Michigan CCW permit.
  • Road areas: You are allowed to conceal carry along roads and in rest areas
  • National and state parks: You are allowed to conceal carry in national and states parks and forests, as well as in wildlife management areas.

Conceal Carry For Law Enforcement Officers

Law enforcement officers in America are allowed to conceal carry by federal laws. This law covers active, retired, and out of service officers.

Law enforcement officers that are qualified are allowed to conceal carry without any location restrictions or regardless of state or municipality laws in the country.  

Retired law enforcement officers in Michigan are allowed to conceal carry after undergoing law enforcement officers’ safety act programs in the state.

Michigan Commission for Law Enforcement provides details about this on their website. There are application information and other necessary information you should know about the certification.

Retired officers that pass this training course are allowed to conceal carry without restrictions in the state.

Buying And Selling Of Firearms In Michigan

Michigan has stringent gun laws in terms of sales, purchase, transfer, and transportation of firearms. To deal with guns in the state, you have to be familiar with these laws.

Some of the things you should know include the following:

Purchasing Permits

You cannot purchase a firearm in Michigan if you are not a resident of the state. 

Also, if you have a Michigan CCW permit, you can buy a gun in the state.

However, as a permit holder, you still have to complete a gun sales record and have it submitted to the state police department.

To purchase a firearm, you need to meet the age requirement, have a clean background check, and not be mentally unstable.

You must obtain three copies of your gun purchase record.

The licensed seller will keep one of the copies, you will hold another one, and the last one must get to the police force within ten days of buying the gun.

As a non-resident of the state, you must have a CCW permit from your state of residence and obtain another purchase permit before buying a firearm.

Background Checks For Buying Firearms In CCW

Before you obtain your Michigan CCW permit, a background check is required. 

Therefore, you do not need an extra criminal check to purchase a firearm in the state.

Buyers who do not have Michigan concealed carry permits will need a firearm purchase license, and this requires a criminal background check.

Firearm Registration In Michigan

Several firearms in the state require registrations with the police department before use. 

Guns used by law enforcement officers and non-residents of Michigan who have a CCW permit from other states do not require registration.

Waiting Period For Purchasing Firearms In Michigan

There is no waiting period to buy a firearm in the state. A sale is complete as soon as you pay for the firearm.

Age Requirement For Firearm In Michigan

You must be at least eighteen years old to possess or transport a firearm in Michigan. However, to buy a firearm, you must be at least twenty-one years old.

Other age laws that have to do with gun dealings in Michigan include the following:

  • Anybody under the age of eighteen cannot possess a firearm in Michigan except under the guidance of a person more than eighteen years old.
  • The above law does not restrict an underage from handling a gun in wildlife management areas or other state’s forests.
  • An underage can also possess firearms during a range shooting practice.
  • But the firearm must be concealed in a case, or locked away in a vehicle while going to or from the shooting range.
  • Anybody who violates these laws will be guilty of a misdemeanor and will serve a punishment of ninety days’ jail term and/or pay a fine of one hundred dollars.

Possession Of Firearms In Private Properties

You do not require a permit to possess a firearm in your place of residence, your place of business, and any property you own.

Process To Purchase Handgun In Michigan

If you have a Michigan CCW permit, then you do not need a firearm license to purchase a gun in the state.

If you do not have a CCW permit, then you must have a firearm purchase permit before you can acquire a firearm in the state.

You can only get a purchase permit from your county’s sheriff’s office. 

To do this, provide a Michigan means of identification, which can either be a driver’s license or a state identification card that has your address on it.

A criminal background checks and your mental health record is also required to obtain your purchase permit.

Completing this check will take one to two days, after which you will be given your license.

You can only use your purchase permit within one month of obtaining it. After this period, the permit will be invalid and unusable.

The sheriff’s department or your local police will keep a copy of your purchase permit, the federally licensed seller will keep another copy, while you hold on to your copy.

Castle Doctrine In Michigan

Michigan has a Castle Doctrine law that encourages you to stand your ground, with no duty to retreat when unlawfully attacked by an individual at your home.

This law allows you to make use of excessive force if you believe that such force is necessary as a means of self-defense to save yourself from a violent danger, an imminent death, and other criminal activities like rape or robbery.

Using your gun as a means of self-defense in the castle doctrine law grants you immunity from civil liability.

Castle doctrine in Michigan only takes place in your home or place of abode, when faced with an attack outside your home, you have a duty to retreat.

Michigan CCW Permit Requirement

Before applying for Michigan CCW permits, there are specific requirements you have to meet. 

They include the following:

  • You must be at least twenty-one years old.
  • You must complete Michigan concealed carry class. This could also be a Michigan concealed carry online course.
  • You must be a resident of Michigan and must have lived in the state for a minimum of six months.
  • You must have a valid state identification card.
  • You must not be convicted of a felony or have any related charges.
  • You must not be legally incapacitated.
  • You must not be mentally unstable.
  • You must not have a court order that prohibits the possession, transportation, sales, purchase, and usage of firearms.
  • You must not be discharged from the armed forces in a dishonorable fashion.
  • You must not be a convict to any misdemeanor charge in the last eight years before applying for your CCW permit.
  • You must not be declared as a threat to yourself or another person.
  • You must meet other federal laws required to obtain CCW permits.

How To Apply For CCW Permit In Michigan

Michigan concealed carry permit application must only take place after you are sure that you have met all requirements.

The steps include the following:

Complete A Firearm Training Course

Complete a Michigan concealed carry class that is state-approved with a certified instructor.

Download Application

You can either download the CCW application online or visit your county’s clerk to pick it up.

Submit The Necessary Documents

Your application must be signed under oath at your local clerk’s office. Other documents to provide include the following:

  • Your firearm training certificate.
  • Your passport photograph.
  • The required fee.

A receipt will be provided to you after paying.

Take Your Fingerprints.

Your fingerprint will be taken at either your county clerk desk, your local police office or the sheriff’s office. You must also provide your pistol application receipt.

Michigan Concealed Carry FAQs.

Here are some frequently asked questions on Michigan CCW.

How Long Is Michigan CCW Permit Valid?

The permit is valid for approximately five years.

How Much Is Michigan CCW Application?

An initial application costs one hundred dollars, while a renewal application costs one hundred and fifteen dollars.

How Long Will It Take Me To Get My Michigan CCW Permit?

The processing time for a CCW permit is forty-five days. 

Additional Resources

Michigan Gun Laws
Michigan Open Carry Laws
Michigan Gun Permit Laws

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