Michigan Vehicle Carry Laws

How you may carry or transport a firearm in a vehicle in Michigan depends on whether the firearm is a pistol or a long gun, and whether you hold a Concealed Pistol License (CPL). The rules below are drawn from the Michigan Penal Code (1931 PA 328) and the firearms licensing act (1927 PA 372), with practical points from Michigan State Police and Department of Natural Resources guidance noted where they interpret the statutes.

Pistols in a Vehicle With a CPL

A person with a valid CPL may carry a pistol, concealed or non-concealed, in a vehicle. Under MCL 750.227(2), it is a felony to carry a pistol concealed on or about the person, or, whether concealed or otherwise, in a vehicle the person operates or occupies, without a license to carry the pistol. A CPL satisfies that license requirement, so long as the pistol is not carried in a place or manner inconsistent with the restrictions on the license.

"A person shall not carry a pistol concealed on or about his or her person, or, whether concealed or otherwise, in a vehicle operated or occupied by the person, except in his or her dwelling house, place of business, or on other land possessed by the person, without a license to carry the pistol as provided by law and if licensed, shall not carry the pistol in a place or manner inconsistent with any restrictions upon such license." - MCL 750.227(2)

A violation of MCL 750.227 is a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or a fine of not more than $2,500. MCL 750.227(3).

Key point: There is no way to "open carry" a pistol in a vehicle without a CPL. Even if the pistol is not concealed, it falls under the "whether concealed or otherwise" language of MCL 750.227(2) once it is in a vehicle the person operates or occupies. A CPL is generally required to keep a pistol in the passenger compartment of a vehicle, unless one of the following applies:

• An exemption under MCL 750.231 (peace officers, certain corrections employees, members of listed military and police agencies, and similar persons acting within their duties).
• An exception under MCL 750.231a (out-of-state license holders, and the unloaded/cased/trunk transport rule discussed below).
• The dwelling house, place of business, or own-land carve-out within MCL 750.227(2) itself.

Pistols in a Vehicle Without a CPL

A person who does not hold a CPL may transport a pistol in a vehicle only under an exception in MCL 750.231a, which lists the circumstances in which the MCL 750.227(2) prohibition does not apply.

The lawful-purpose transport exception appears in MCL 750.231a(1)(d) and (e). Read together with the statute's text, a person who is not licensed to carry a concealed pistol may transport a pistol only if all of the following are true:

1. The pistol is licensed (registered to the owner or occupant of the motor vehicle) in compliance with the license-to-purchase law, section 2 of 1927 PA 372, MCL 28.422. This is a threshold condition. A person who owns a pistol that has no Michigan purchase registration cannot rely on this transport exception, no matter how the pistol is stored.
2. The transport is for a lawful purpose.
3. The pistol is unloaded.
4. The pistol is in a closed case designed for the storage of firearms.
5. The pistol is in the trunk of the vehicle. MCL 750.231a(1)(d). If the vehicle has no trunk, the cased, unloaded pistol must not be readily accessible to the occupants of the vehicle. MCL 750.231a(1)(e).

A separate exception, MCL 750.231a(1)(c), allows a person to carry an antique firearm that is completely unloaded in a closed case or container designed for the storage of firearms in the trunk of a vehicle.

What Counts as a "Lawful Purpose"

MCL 750.231a does not define "lawful purpose" with a list. Michigan State Police guidance interprets the term to include going to or from any of the following:

• A hunting or target area
• A place of repair
• Moving goods from one home or business to another home or business
• A law enforcement agency, for a safety inspection or to turn the pistol over to the agency
• A gun show, or a place of sale or purchase
• A public shooting facility
• Public land where shooting is legal
• Private property where a pistol may be lawfully used

This list reflects MSP's reading of the statutory term, not language inside MCL 750.231a. The statutory conditions that do appear in the law are the purchase-license, unloaded, closed-case, and trunk requirements listed above.

Long Guns (Rifles, Shotguns, Muzzleloaders) in Vehicles

Two separate Michigan statutes govern transport of non-pistol firearms in vehicles. They have different scope and different requirements, and they apply concurrently where their scopes overlap.

MCL 750.227c: No Loaded Non-Pistol Firearm in a Mechanically Propelled Vehicle

Under MCL 750.227c(1), except as otherwise permitted by law, a person shall not transport or possess in or upon a sailboat, motor vehicle, aircraft, motorboat, or any other vehicle propelled by mechanical means, either of the following:

• (a) A firearm, other than a pistol, that is loaded.
• (b) A pneumatic gun that is loaded and expels a metallic BB or metallic pellet greater than .177 caliber.

The requirement of MCL 750.227c is that the non-pistol firearm be unloaded. A violation is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 2 years or a fine of not more than $2,500, or both. MCL 750.227c(2).

MCL 750.227d: Stowage Rules in Motor Vehicles and Self-Propelled Land Vehicles

Under MCL 750.227d(1), except as otherwise permitted by law, a person shall not transport or possess in or upon a motor vehicle or any self-propelled vehicle designed for land travel, either of the following:

• (a) A firearm, other than a pistol, unless the firearm is unloaded and is one or more of the following:
  1. Taken down
  2. Enclosed in a case
  3. Carried in the trunk of the vehicle
  4. Inaccessible from the interior of the vehicle
• (b) A pneumatic gun that expels a metallic BB or metallic pellet greater than .177 caliber, unless the pneumatic gun is unloaded and meets one or more of the same four stowage conditions.

A violation is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days or a fine of not more than $100, or both. MCL 750.227d(2).

Practical Summary

• Aircraft, motorboats, sailboats, and other mechanically propelled vehicles that are not motor vehicles or self-propelled land vehicles: only MCL 750.227c applies. The non-pistol firearm must be unloaded, but the four stowage options of 227d are not separately required.
• Motor vehicles and self-propelled land vehicles (including ORVs and snowmobiles that fall within those terms): both 227c and 227d apply. The firearm must be unloaded and must satisfy at least one of the four stowage conditions listed above.

Both statutes apply except as otherwise permitted by law. The exemptions in MCL 750.231 (peace officers, listed military and police agencies, and similar persons) reach sections 227c and 227d as well.

Note: Michigan DNR rules and the Waterfowl Hunting Digest add separate requirements for hunting from boats and ORVs. The long-gun-in-vehicle rules do not apply to a pistol carried under a CPL or transported under a specific exception to the CPL requirement.

Muzzleloader-Specific Rules

Michigan DNR hunting guidance treats certain muzzleloaders as unloaded when made safe in the following ways:

• A percussion cap muzzleloading longarm is considered unloaded if the percussion cap is removed.
• A flintlock muzzleloading longarm is considered unloaded if the cock is left down and the pan is open.
• A muzzleloading firearm with an electric ignition system is considered unloaded if the battery is removed.
• Black powder handguns must be transported under the same rules as other handguns (unloaded, cased, in the trunk).

Non-Residents

A non-resident must transport pistols in compliance with the unloaded, cased, trunk rules of MCL 750.231a unless an exception applies. Two statutory pathways are relevant.

First, MCL 750.231a(1)(a) provides that the MCL 750.227(2) concealed-pistol prohibition does not apply to a person holding a valid license to carry a pistol concealed upon his or her person issued by his or her state of residence, except where the pistol is carried in nonconformance with a restriction appearing on that license. A non-resident with a valid out-of-state concealed pistol license may therefore carry under that license rather than under the unloaded/cased/trunk rule.

Second, MCL 28.422(9) excuses a qualifying non-resident from obtaining a Michigan license to purchase under section 2 if all five of the following conditions apply:

1. The individual is licensed in the individual's state of residence to purchase, carry, or transport a pistol.
2. The individual is in possession of that license.
3. The individual is the owner of the pistol the individual possesses, carries, or transports.
4. The individual possesses the pistol for a lawful purpose.
5. The individual is in this state for a period of 180 days or less and does not intend to establish residency in this state.

Two of these conditions are easy to overlook: the non-resident must actually own the pistol (MCL 28.422(9)(c)), and the stay must be 180 days or less with no intent to establish residency (MCL 28.422(9)(e)).

A non-resident must present the license issued by his or her state of residence on the demand of a police officer. Failure to do so is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for not more than 90 days or a fine of not more than $100, or both. MCL 28.422(10).

A related exemption from the license-to-purchase requirement appears in MCL 28.432(1)(f), which excuses a United States citizen holding a concealed pistol license issued by another state. MCL 28.432 is a broad exemptions statute. It lists nine categories that are not subject to section 2 (MCL 28.422), including police and correctional agencies, the listed branches of the Armed Forces, the National Guard and reserves, members of those organizations acting within their duties, out-of-state concealed-pistol licensees, manufacturers' and dealers' authorized agents, antique firearms, and, at MCL 28.432(1)(i), an individual carrying or transporting a pistol belonging to another person when that other person's possession is authorized by law and the carrier holds a CPL or is exempt from licensure. MCL 28.432 is not the authority for the non-resident license-to-purchase exemption in MCL 28.422(9).

CPL Holder Concealed-Carry Restrictions in Vehicles (MCL 28.425o)

A CPL holder, or a person exempt from licensure under section 12a(h), may not carry a concealed pistol on the premises of the following pistol-free zones. Under MCL 28.425o(4), "premises" does not include the parking areas of these places.

• A school or school property. Exception: a parent or legal guardian of a student of the school may carry a concealed pistol while in a vehicle on school property when dropping the student off at, or picking the student up from, the school. MCL 28.425o(1)(a).
• A public or private child care center or day care center, child caring institution, or child placing agency.
• A sports arena or stadium.
• A bar or tavern licensed under the Michigan Liquor Control Code where the primary source of income is the sale of alcoholic liquor by the glass consumed on the premises. This does not apply to an owner or employee of the business.
• Any property or facility owned or operated by a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, or other place of worship, unless the presiding official permits concealed carry there.
• An entertainment facility with a seating capacity of 2,500 or more individuals that the person knows or should know has that capacity.
• A hospital.
• A dormitory or classroom of a community college, college, or university.
• A casino, under R 432.1212 of the Michigan Administrative Code. MCL 28.425o(3).

Important: MCL 28.425o restricts concealed carry. By its terms it does not bar a CPL holder from carrying a non-concealed (openly carried) pistol in these places, though other location-specific laws may still apply.

Penalties under MCL 28.425o(6) escalate by offense:

• First violation: a state civil infraction, with a fine of not more than $500. The court must order the CPL suspended for 6 months. MCL 28.425o(6)(a).
• Second violation: a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000. The court must order the CPL revoked. MCL 28.425o(6)(b).
• Third or subsequent violation: a felony punishable by imprisonment for not more than 4 years or a fine of not more than $5,000, or both. The court must order the CPL revoked. MCL 28.425o(6)(c).

Key Statutes Referenced