Crime & Safety

Ask a Trooper: What is Michigan Law Regarding Firearms?

The following article was written by Michigan State Trooper Mike Sura, who answers questions about Michigan law in a weekly column.

This has been asked by many people in and around the Livingston County area.  I am going to state exactly what the law is in regards to open carrying of a firearm.

In Michigan, it is legal for a person to carry a firearm in public as long as the person is carrying a firearm with LAWFUL intent and the firearm is NOT CONCEALED.  You will not find a law that states it is legal to openly carry a firearm.  It is legal because there is no Michigan law that prohibits it; however, Michigan Law limits the premises on which a person may carry a firearm. 

Michigan Code of Law 750.234d provides that it is a 90 day misdemeanor to possess a firearm on the premises of any of the following:  A depository or finanacial institution (e.g., bank or credit union), a church or other place of religious worship, a court, a theater, a sports arena, a day care center, a hospital, an establishment licensed under the Liquor Control Code.

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Now this is only the open carrying of a firearm.  There are several laws that apply to having a concealed weapons permit.  That I cannot fit in this article.  I encourage you to read for yourself the Michigan Compiled Laws, Section 750.234d-f.

Welcome Trooper Andrew Hayes


This week we would like to introduce another graduate of the Michigan State Police – 125th Recruit School, Trooper Andrew Hayes who is married with two children and lives in the Lansing area.  Trooper Hayes’ great uncle, Trooper Fred Labarge, is retired from the Michigan State Police and he has a cousin with the Rapid City, South Dakota, Sheriff Department. Trooper Hayes has an associate degree in welding from Lansing Community College.

Find out what's happening in Royal Oakwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Trooper Hayes spent four and a half years with the U.S. Army’s, 101st Airborne Division and served two combat tours in Iraq.  As a sergeant in his second tour, Trooper Hayes received the Bronze Star for exceptionally meritorious service for leading his squad on over 300 combat patrols, capturing over 25 insurgents, assisting to locate seven Improvised Explosive Devices and continually training soldiers in fundamentals and leadership. 

“The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation” – George Washington

Ask a Trooper


If you have a questions or comments please email them to askatrooper12@gmail.com, or mail them to Ask A Trooper, Michigan State Police – Brighton Post, 4337 Buno Road, Brighton, MI  48116.


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