Machine guns: Michigan law prohibits the manufacture, sale, offer for sale, or possession of a machine gun or any other firearm that “shoots or is designed to shoot automatically more than 1 shot without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger” unless licensed by the federal government to manufacture, sell, or possess a machine gun. Mich. Comp. Laws Serv. § 750.224(1)(a)

“Armor piercing ammunition” means a projectile or projectile core which may be used in a handgun and is constructed entirely, excluding the presence of traces of other substances, of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, beryllium copper, or a combination of tungsten alloys, steel, iron, brass, bronze, or beryllium copper, and does not include:
Shotgun shot that is required by federal law or by a law of this state to be used for hunting purposes;
A frangible projectile designed for target shooting;
A projectile that the director of the Michigan Department of State Police finds is primarily intended to be used for sporting purposes; or
A projectile or projectile core that the director of the Michigan Department of State Police finds is intended to be used for industrial purposes.

For concealed pistol license requirements, see Right to Carry section.

For license to purchase: Upon application, Michigan law requires local law enforcement officials to issue purchase licenses to qualified applicants unless they have probable cause to believe that the applicant would be a threat to themselves or to other individuals or would commit a criminal offense with the handgun as well as:

Is not subject to any of several specified protective orders or court dispositions;
Is 18 years of age or older;
Is a U.S. citizen or lawfully admitted alien and a legal resident of Michigan;
Does not have a felony or other specified criminal charge pending against him or her;
Is not prohibited from possessing, using, transporting, selling, purchasing, carrying, shipping, receiving, or distributing a firearm under state law; and
Has not been adjudged “insane” or “legally incapacitated,” or is not under an order of involuntary commitment in an inpatient or outpatient setting due to mental illness.

Mich. Comp. Laws Serv. § 28.422

Note for handguns: A License to Purchase is required prior to acquisition of a handgun. The acquisition can be either by a purchase, gift, or inheritance.

When a handgun is purchased in Michigan, a Firearm Sales Record form (RI-060 form) is required. The seller must fill out the forms describing the handgun, listing the date of sale, and indicating that the handgun was sold to the licensee/purchaser. Both the seller and the licensee/purchaser must sign the forms. The seller retains a copy of the form as a record of the sale, provide one copy to the purchaser, and return one copy to local law enforcement within 10 days after the date the handgun is purchased or acquired. Within 10 days after receiving the copy from the seller, the law enforcement authority must electronically enter the information into the handgun entry database.
Mich. Comp. Laws Serv. § 28.422

The county clerk shall issue a concealed handgun license if the applicant:

Is 21 years of age or older;

Is a citizen of the United States or an alien lawfully admitted into the United States;

Is a resident of Michigan, and has resided in Michigan for at least six months;

Has completed a handgun safety training course certified by the state of Michigan or a national or state firearms training organization (see the Firearm Safety Training subsection, below);

Is not the subject of specified court orders;

Is not prohibited from possessing, using, transporting, selling, purchasing, carrying, shipping, receiving or distributing a firearm under Michigan law;

Has never been convicted of a felony, and a felony charge is not pending against the applicant;

Has not been dishonorably discharged from the United States Armed Forces;

Has not been convicted of a misdemeanor violation in the last eight years relating to specified crimes, including but not limited to: serious vehicle offenses; displaying sexually explicit materials to minors; assault or domestic assault; fourth degree child abuse; accosting, enticing, or soliciting a child for immoral purposes; vulnerable adult abuse; solicitation to commit a felony; certain weapons crimes; or stalking;

Has not been convicted of any of a list of other specified misdemeanors in the last three years;

Has not been found “guilty but mentally ill” of any crime and has not offered a plea of not guilty of, or been acquitted of, any crime by reason of insanity;

Has never been subject to an order of involuntary commitment in an inpatient or outpatient setting due to mental illness;

Does not have a diagnosed mental illness that includes an assessment that the individual presents a danger to himself or herself or to another at the time the application is made, regardless of whether he or she is receiving treatment for that illness;

Is not under a court order of legal incapacity; and

Has has a valid state-issued driver license or personal identification card.

• Schools or school property but may carry while in a vehicle on school property while dropping off or picking up if a parent or legal guardian.
• Public or private day care center, public or private child caring agency, or public or private child placing agency.
• Sports arena or stadium.
• A tavern where the primary source of income is the sale of alcoholic liquor by the glass consumed on the premises.
• Any property or facility owned or operated by a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or other place of worship, unless the presiding official or officials allow concealed weapons.
• An entertainment facility that the individual knows or should know has a seating capacity of 2,500 or more.
• A hospital.
• A dormitory or classroom of a community college, college, or university
• Courtroom, office, or other space used for official court business or by judicial employees unless the chief judge or other person designated by the chief judge has given prior approval consistent with the court's written policy.

Mich. Comp. Laws Serv. § 28.425o(1)

See licensing section for more information in Michigan permit to purchase licensing requirements.

An emergency red flag order does not require notice to the respondent and will last for up to fourteen days before a hearing must be held to determine whether a final order is appropriate. For a final order, if the court determines that the petitioner has met the standard of proof, it will issue an order that lasts up to one year.

An individual subject to a red flag law judgment must relinquish their guns to law enforcement or a court-approved Federal Firearms Licensee and will be prohibited from possessing firearms for the duration of the order. They must also surrender any concealed pistol license.

A petitioner can be one of the following:

Spouse of the respondent

Former spouse of the respondent

Individual who has a child in common

Individual who has or had a “dating relationship”

Individual who resides or has resided in same household

“Family member”

“Guardian”

“Law enforcement officer”

Health care provider