Owning and Carrying One in Michigan

🔴 Nothing in this volume is legal advice. It quotes Michigan statutes as published by the Michigan Legislature, compiled “complete through PA 91 of 2026”, as read on 19 September 2026.¹ The law changes; the statute is the authority and the county clerk and the Michigan State Police administer it.

6.1 The paperwork a Michigan pistol already has

A pistol acquired in Michigan comes with a record. The purchase licence (or the concealed-pistol-licence exemption from it), the seller’s return, the pistol entry database that is Michigan’s pistol “registration” in practice, and the 30-day window in which the purchaser carries the paperwork are all set out, quoted from MCL 28.422 and 28.422a, in the Remington XP-100 dive, Volume 5. They apply identically to a Shield and are not repeated here. One point from that treatment bears on this pistol directly: a Michigan CPL holder is exempt from the purchase licence, but the sale is still recorded and still reaches the database.

The rest of this volume covers what the XP-100 dive does not, because that treatment is about buying a pistol rather than carrying one: the concealed pistol licence itself.

6.2 Carrying concealed: the offence and the licence

The offence comes first, because it is what the licence is an exception to. MCL 750.227(2):

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.

It is a felony, “punishable by imprisonment for not more than 5 years, or by a fine of not more than $2,500.00.”²

Two things in that subsection deserve attention. A pistol in a vehicle is covered “whether concealed or otherwise” — the vehicle rule does not depend on concealment. And the licence’s own restrictions are part of the offence: carrying licensed but “in a place or manner inconsistent with” the licence is the same crime.

The licence answers both. MCL 28.425c(3):

Subject to section 5o and except as otherwise provided by law, a license to carry a concealed pistol issued by the county clerk authorizes the licensee to do all of the following: (a) Carry a pistol concealed on or about his or her person anywhere in this state. (b) Carry a pistol in a vehicle, whether concealed or not concealed, anywhere in this state.³

The licence card itself must list the premises on which carrying is prohibited under section 5o and the disclosure duty under section 5f(3) — the two restrictions that matter most day to day are printed on the licence.³

The vehicle rules for a person without a CPL, and the contrast with long guns under MCL 750.227d, are in the XP-100 dive, Volume 5 and the AR-15 5.56 dive, Volume 7.

6.3 Getting and keeping a licence

The application goes to the county clerk of the county of residence, under oath, and is withdrawn if fingerprints are not taken within 45 days. Among the conditions the clerk must find, the first is that “the applicant is 21 years of age or older.”⁴

Training. MCL 28.425j sets the standard for the pistol course the applicant must have completed within the five years before applying: “not less than 8 hours of instruction”, of which five hours of listed classroom instruction — safe storage, use and handling “including … to protect child safety”; ammunition and the fundamentals of pistol shooting; shooting positions; “firearms and the law, including civil liability issues and the use of deadly force”, taught “by an attorney or an individual trained in the use of deadly force”; avoiding criminal attack; and “all laws that apply to carrying a concealed pistol in this state” — and:

(b) The program provides at least 3 hours of instruction on a firing range and requires firing at least 30 rounds of ammunition.⁵

⚠ The statutory round count is a minimum of 30. That is the figure in the statute as compiled in September 2026 and the only one given here; a course may require more, and whether the statute ever set a different number was not established.

Processing. The licence, or a notice of statutory disqualification, is due within 45 days after classifiable fingerprints are taken. If neither has issued by then, “the receipt issued … serves as a concealed pistol license … when carried with a state-issued driver license or personal identification card”.⁴

Validity and renewal. The licence runs “until the applicant’s date of birth that falls not less than 4 years or more than 5 years after the license is issued or renewed.” Renewal costs $115.00, may be submitted up to six months before expiry, and may be done online or by mail through the Michigan State Police.⁶

6.4 Duties while carrying

MCL 28.425f sets three duties and prices them.⁷

Table 1 — Duties while carrying

Duty	Statute	Penalty
Have the licence and a state driver licence or ID in possession at all times while carrying	5f(1)	civil infraction, $100
Show both to a peace officer on request	5f(2)	civil infraction, $100
When stopped by a peace officer, “immediately disclose” carrying a pistol “concealed upon his or her person or in his or her vehicle”	5f(3)	first offence: $500 and 6-month suspension; again within 3 years: $1,000 and revocation

The disclosure duty is the one with teeth, and its trigger is being stopped, not being asked.

6.5 Where a licence does not reach

MCL 28.425o(1) lists the premises on which a licensee “shall not carry a concealed pistol”:⁸

• a school or school property — with an exception for a parent or guardian carrying “while in a vehicle on school property” while dropping off or picking up a student;
• 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 Liquor Control Code “where the primary source of income of the business is the sale of alcoholic liquor by the glass and consumed on the premises” (not applying to the owner or an employee);
• any property or facility of a church, synagogue, mosque, temple or other place of worship, unless the presiding official or officials permit it;
• an entertainment facility with seating for 2,500 or more that the licensee knows or should know of, or that is signed at each public entrance;
• a hospital;
• a dormitory or classroom of a community college, college or university.

Casinos are reached separately through the gaming rules, 5o(3). And subsection (4) draws a line that is often missed: “premises” does not include parking areas of the places listed.⁸

The penalties escalate: a first violation is a civil infraction of up to $500 with a six-month suspension; a second is a misdemeanour of up to $1,000 with revocation; a third is a felony of up to four years or $5,000.⁸

6.6 Alcohol

Accepting a licence “constitutes implied consent to submit to a chemical analysis.” MCL 28.425k then sets a threshold far below the driving limit:⁹

Table 2 — Alcohol

Bodily alcohol content while carrying	Consequence
.02 to below .08	civil infraction, $100; licence suspended for 1 year
.08 to below .10	misdemeanour (up to 93 days or $100); licence suspended for 3 years
.10 or more, or “under the influence”	misdemeanour; licence revoked

A licensee with any alcohol in the blood may still transport the pistol “in the locked trunk” of a vehicle, or, in a vehicle without a trunk, “unloaded in a locked compartment or container that is separated from the ammunition.”⁹ That is transport, not carry.

6.7 Storage: the 2024 law, and a warning from the maker

Michigan’s safe-storage statute, MCL 28.429, took effect on 13 February 2024 (added by 2023 PA 17). A person who leaves a firearm unattended on premises under their control, and “who knows or reasonably should know that a minor is, or is likely to be, present on the premises”, must either “store the firearm in a locked box or container” or “keep the firearm unloaded and lock the firearm with a locking device that is properly engaged to render the firearm inoperable by any individual other than the owner or an authorized user.” On another person’s premises there is a third option: lock the firearm in the vehicle — in a locked container or with a locking device — and lock the vehicle, before entering.¹⁰

The penalties attach only if a minor obtains the firearm, and they rise with the outcome: a misdemeanour if the minor exhibits it in public or carelessly; felonies of up to 5, 10 and 15 years if it is discharged and causes injury, serious impairment, or death.¹⁰ A dealer selling a firearm in Michigan must supply a lock or a lockable case with it, and a written warning of these penalties.¹¹

The maker’s warning narrows the choice. Smith & Wesson’s current manual:

Do not use any lock, cable, or device that continually or prolongedly depresses the trigger or trigger safety. Your Smith & Wesson firearm is equipped with internal safety mechanisms. Any lock or storage device that applies continuous pressure to the trigger or trigger safety can damage components, resulting in the malfunction of the safety and creating an unsafe condition.¹²

The trigger safety is the hinged lower trigger described in Volume 4. A clamp-style trigger lock that presses on it for weeks satisfies the statute’s “locking device” and may damage the part the maker relies on. For a Shield, a locked box or container meets the statute without touching the trigger at all, and it is the option the maker’s warning points to. That is an inference from the two texts read together; neither mentions the other.

6.8 Federal law, briefly

A Shield in 9×19 with its factory barrel is an ordinary handgun under the Gun Control Act. Nothing about it engages the National Firearms Act, and the federal material that dominates this hub’s other owned-gun dives — the stabilising-brace rule vacated in Mock v. Garland, and Public Law 119-21’s $0 tax on short-barrelled rifles and suppressors — does not touch it. The brace history is set out in the AR Pistol .300 BLK dive, Volume 4, and the tax change — which left $200 in place for machineguns — in the MP 40 dive, Volume 6. Smith & Wesson sells a threaded barrel for the Shield and Shield Plus; a suppressor on it would bring in the NFA for the suppressor, which the Suppressor Law dive covers.

6.9 What is not recorded, and what to ask

As documented in September 2026 the owner’s records give the pistol’s make, model, calibre, barrel length and one fitted accessory. What they do not give determines several answers in this dive:

Table 3 — As documented in September 2026 the owner's records give the pistol's make, model, calibre, barrel length and one fitted accessory. What they do not give determines several answers in this dive

Not recorded	Why it matters	Volume
Generation (original, M2.0, Shield Plus)	which magazines are correct	2, 3
Thumb safety fitted	carry procedure; manual step 1	4
Magazine disconnect fitted	whether it fires with the magazine out	4
Optics-ready slide or not	what the DeltaPoint Micro’s insert sits in	5
Magazines on hand	what the pistol is actually fed from	3
Holster	whether the optic is cleared	5
Date of manufacture	whether the 2013 safety alert could apply	4

That last row is a real question, not a formality: an original Shield made before 19 August 2013 was within the scope of Smith & Wesson’s 2013 alert. Smith & Wesson, with the serial number, is the source for whether a given pistol was inspected.

6.10 Bibliography

Footnotes

1. Michigan Legislature, Michigan Compiled Laws, https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL, “MCL Complete Through PA 91 of 2026” (accessed 2026-09-19). ↩

2. MCL 750.227, Michigan Penal Code (1931 PA 328) — carrying concealed weapons; subsection (2) pistols; subsection (3) penalty. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-750-227 (accessed 2026-09-19). ↩

3. MCL 28.425c — licence form and contents, including (1)(f) section 5o premises and (1)(g) the section 5f(3) disclosure; (3) authority conferred. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-28-425c (accessed 2026-09-19). ↩ ↩²

4. MCL 28.425b (1927 PA 372, section 5b) — application to the county clerk; fingerprints within 45 days; (7)(a) age 21; (13) issue within 45 days of fingerprints; (14) receipt serving as a licence. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-28-425b (accessed 2026-09-19). ↩ ↩²

5. MCL 28.425j — pistol training or safety program; 8 hours; 5 hours of listed instruction; 3 hours on a range and at least 30 rounds; certificate requirements. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-28-425j (accessed 2026-09-19). ↩

6. MCL 28.425l — validity; renewal; $115 fee; online and mail renewal. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-28-425l (accessed 2026-09-19). ↩

7. MCL 28.425f — possession of licence and ID; showing to a peace officer; immediate disclosure when stopped; penalties. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-28-425f (accessed 2026-09-19). ↩

8. MCL 28.425o — premises on which carrying a concealed pistol is prohibited; parking areas excluded; exemptions; penalties. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-28-425o (accessed 2026-09-19). ↩ ↩² ↩³

9. MCL 28.425k — implied consent; alcohol and controlled substances; transport exceptions. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-28-425k (accessed 2026-09-19). ↩ ↩²

10. MCL 28.429 (1927 PA 372, section 9, added by 2023 PA 17, effective 13 February 2024) — storage of firearms where a minor is or is likely to be present; penalties; exceptions. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-28-429 (accessed 2026-09-19). ↩ ↩²

11. MCL 28.435 (1927 PA 372, section 15) — dealer to supply a trigger lock or lockable case, safety information, and a written warning of the section 9 penalties. https://www.legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-28-435 (accessed 2026-09-19). ↩

12. Smith & Wesson, Safety & Instruction Manual for SHIELD® PLUS and SHIELD X™ pistols, 07/08/25, part 3017716, https://smith-wesson.canto.com/direct/document/64u457llr51g7db5vqethvi635/gY5JDnG1Bq08wv-8wMzkvdugsCU/original?content-type=application/pdf&name=SHIELD_PLUS&X_Manual_070825_3017716.pdf (accessed 2026-09-19) — safe storage and locks. ↩