◆ MICHIGAN · CARRY LAW
Michigan.
Information, not legal advice. Confirm with the state before you carry.
Kept in this browser only. Never sent to us.
◆ THE SHORT ANSWEREvery tile below is one of the answers further down this page, with its citation.
Concealed, no permit
No
Open, no permit
Yes
In a vehicle, no permit
No
Getting a permit
Yes, shall-issue
- You must tell an officer you are carrying, before being asked.
- A permit is required to buy a firearm, not just to carry one.
- This state has an extreme-risk protective order law.
◆ CARRYING HERE
What Michigan requires
The state's permit is the Concealed Pistol License, issued by your county clerk.
Carrying without a permit3
Can I carry concealed here without a permit?
Permitless or "constitutional" carry. "Limited" means some adults qualify and others do not. Read the qualifier.
No
You need a license. Carrying a pistol concealed without one is a felony carrying up to five years, with no exception outside your home, business or land you own.
Can I carry openly here without a permit?
Yes
Open carry on foot needs no license. It is lawful because the offense reaches concealed carry, not because a statute grants it, and it stops at the car door.
Can I keep a loaded handgun in my car without a permit?
No
No. Michigan is the trap: in a vehicle it makes no difference whether the pistol is hidden or in plain sight. Either way you need the license. The only route without one is unloaded, in a closed case, in the trunk, going between home, a place of purchase and a repair shop.
Permits and age3
If I want this state's permit, will they issue one?
Shall-issue means the state must issue to any qualified applicant. May-issue leaves it to an official's discretion.
Yes, shall-issue
The county clerk SHALL issue to anyone who meets the criteria. Valid four to five years. It runs to a birthday, not to an anniversary.
Can I get this state's permit if I live somewhere else?
No
You must be a Michigan resident and have lived here six months before applying. A visitor cannot get one, and unlike most states cannot lean on someone else's non-resident permit either.
How old do I have to be to carry here?
The floor for the least restrictive lawful route. Where permitless and permit ages differ, the qualifier says so.
18
18 to carry openly. The concealed license is 21, so if concealed is what you want, or if you are driving. 21 is your number.
If an officer stops you1
Do I have to tell an officer I am armed?
"Required" means you must volunteer it on contact. "On request" means only when asked.
Required
Yes. If you are stopped by an officer while carrying concealed, you must immediately say so. Unprompted. Carry the license and your driver license, and show both on request.
Buying and owning2
Do I need a state-issued card just to own or buy a firearm here?
Illinois' FOID is the main example. Distinct from a carry permit.
Required
Yes, for a pistol. A license to purchase from your local police or sheriff, unless you hold a Michigan concealed pistol license, which stands in for it. For a rifle or shotgun a dealer background check within the last five days will do instead.
Is there a limit on magazine capacity here?
No limit
Michigan sets no cap on magazine capacity.
No magazine capacity provision in Mich. Comp. Laws ch. 750Read at the Michigan Legislature ↗Checked 11 days ago
How we checked there is no such law
Read § 750.224 in full on 2026-09-05. The prohibited-weapons list is where a capacity limit would sit, and it runs to machine guns, silencers, bombs, blackjacks and gas devices with nothing about magazines. § 123.1102 separately bars every local unit of government from regulating firearms, so a city cap could not fill the gap.How the state governs guns2
Can a city here write its own gun rules on top of the state's?
Full preemption means state law is the only law. Partial means some cities may go further. Check locally.
No, state law is the only law
Cities, townships and villages cannot write their own firearm rules, not on ownership, purchase, transport, possession or taxation.
Does this state have a red-flag law?
An extreme risk protection order lets a court order firearms surrendered temporarily.
Yes, this state has one
Yes. Since February 2024 a judge may order someone to surrender their firearms on petition by family, a roommate, a former partner, police or certain health care providers.
In force since February 13, 2024.
Mich. Comp. Laws §§ 691.1801 et seq.; 2023 PA 38Read at the Michigan Legislature ↗Checked 11 days ago
◆ RECIPROCITY
Permits Michigan honors
If you are visiting Michigan, this is whether your permit counts here.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored, with a condition54
◆ RECIPROCITY, THE OTHER WAY
Where Michigan permits are honored
If you live in Michigan, this is where your permit travels.
Pick a state for the full answer with its citation, or find it in the grid below.
Honored35
Honored, with a condition2
Not honored17
◆ NFA ITEMS
Suppressors and NFA legality
Federal registration is required everywhere these are legal. A state can prohibit them regardless, and several do.
Can I possess a suppressor here?
Federal NFA registration is required everywhere it is legal. State law can prohibit it regardless.
Legal
Lawful if you hold the federal paperwork, but Michigan's route to that answer is unusually indirect. The statute bans silencers by name and the exemption that saves them does not name them back.
Can I possess a short-barreled rifle here?
Legal
Lawful if it is lawful under federal law. Carry a copy of the federal registration, for a rifle over 26 inches overall Michigan can fine you for not producing it on request.
Can I possess a short-barreled shotgun here?
Legal
Lawful if it is lawful under federal law. Carry a copy of the federal registration, for a shotgun over 26 inches overall Michigan can fine you for not producing it on request.
Can I possess a machine gun here?
Federally, civilian possession is limited to pre-1986 registered transferables.
Legal
Lawful if you hold the federal license to possess one. Without it, possession is a five-year felony under state law as well as a federal offense.
Can I possess an AOW here?
Legal
Most federal any-other-weapons are not reached by Michigan law at all. The prohibited list is closed and does not include them.
◆ SOURCES
Where this comes from
This is information, not legal advice. Gun law changes often and the penalty for getting it wrong is criminal. Confirm every answer with the state before you carry there.
- The authority
- your county clerk ↗
- ATF’s index
- Michigan firearm statutes ↗ (PDF)