Traveling to Michigan - anything to be aware of?

[TomJ]

As the title says we're leaving for Michigan this weekend, specifically the Mackinac Island area. I've looked through a number of sites in regards to Michigan laws and am aware that I need to disclose to a LEO that I'm carrying and where the prohibited places are. My main question is whether prohibited places are required to be posted, so I don't inadvertently walk into one. An example is a restaurant that may or may not derive more than 50% of it's revenue from alcohol sales or federal land or structures which may not easily be recognized as such. Is there anything else I should be aware of, such as on Mackinac Island?

 

[Old Dog]

Ah, my original home state actually (at present) has decent concealed carry laws. I spend almost as much time "back home" as I do here in the PNW.

You can carry in a restaurant that serves alcohol (but not the bar).

"No weapons" signs are not enforced.

There is the duty to inform law enforcement officers if you're carrying upon contact with them.

Here's a good resource:
https://www.usconcealedcarry.com/resources/ccw_reciprocity_map/mi-gun-laws/

 

[Frank Ettin]

...."No weapons" signs are not enforced.....

Really? And how do yo know this?

What exactly is the Michigan law on carrying in an establishment with a "no guns" sign posted? If there are law, they can be enforced -- whether or not you think they are.

 

[TomJ]

Really? And how do yo know this?

What exactly is the Michigan law on carrying in an establishment with a "no guns" sign posted? If there are law, they can be enforced -- whether or not you think they are.

According to the USCCA's web site the signs are not enforced. Their explaination is as follows:

"No Weapons Allowed" Signs Enforced?
Are "No Weapons Allowed" signs enforced in Michigan? If yes, violating the sign would be considered to be a crime. If no, violating the sign would not be considered a criminal offense."

FWIW I won't enter an establishment that has a no guns sign. Either the sign carries the weight of law, in which case I'm risking legal problems or it doesn't, in which case I'm patronizing an anti 2A business, which I won't do if it can be avoided.

 

[Old Dog]

Really? And how do yo know this?

I'm not speaking to otherwise prohibited places such as federal buildings, post offices, courthouses, jails, prisons, secure areas of airports, etc., and those establishments that are off-limits to persons under 21.

Specified in MCL 28.425o, you cannot carry in/at

• School or School Property
• Daycare center, child-caring agency, child-placing agency
• Sports arena or stadium
• Bar or Tavern (where the primary source of income is the sale of liquor consumed on-site).
• Churches (any property owned or operated by a place of worship – unless the presiding official permits it)
• An entertainment facility with a seating capacity of 2,500+ (see AG Opinion No. 7120)
• Hospital
• Dormitory or classroom of a community college, college, or university
• Casinos

If a business puts up a no weapons sign, they do not carry the force of law, just like many other states. By the way, the nine state-specified gun-free zones used to be on the back of the CPL. Wanna know how I know this too?

 

[Frank Ettin]

...If a business puts up a no weapons sign, they do not carry the force of law, just like many other states....

A "no gun" sign not having the force of law doesn't mean it's not enforced. It generally means that someone carrying a gun can only be charged with trespassing if he refuses to leave when asked.

 

[Old Dog]

A "no gun" sign not having the force of law doesn't mean it's not enforced. It generally means that someone carrying a gun can only be charged with trespassing if he refuses to leave when asked.

Sigh. I didn't think that needed to be mentioned, as most here should well understand that.

 

[Frank Ettin]

Sigh. I didn't think that needed to be mentioned, as most here should well understand that.

Except you said specifically that "no gun" signs aren't enforced. But, as I outlined, that's not true.

When discussing legal issues, details and precision matter.

 

[SKILCZ]

Of note, an unelected committee just banned firearms from the Michigan State Capitol building. Recently, they had banned open carry, but not concealed. Now they ban all firearms except for LEOs and the exemption they carved out for Michigan legislators with CPLs. So, while prior to 2020 you could legally carry in the capitol, you no longer can (unless and until someone challenges the authority of that unelected committee from curtailing your Constitutional rights).

 

[SKILCZ]

A "no gun" sign not having the force of law doesn't mean it's not enforced. It generally means that someone carrying a gun can only be charged with trespassing if he refuses to leave when asked.

This is correct in MI, as far as I know. If you carry concealed into a business with a "no guns allowed" sign (barring the "gun free" places mentioned above), they could ask you to leave or go after you for trespassing.

As the title says we're leaving for Michigan this weekend, specifically the Mackinac Island area. I've looked through a number of sites in regards to Michigan laws and am aware that I need to disclose to a LEO that I'm carrying and where the prohibited places are. My main question is whether prohibited places are required to be posted, so I don't inadvertently walk into one. An example is a restaurant that may or may not derive more than 50% of it's revenue from alcohol sales or federal land or structures which may not easily be recognized as such. Is there anything else I should be aware of, such as on Mackinac Island?

A few things:

I suggest reading this document from an Attorney General opinion. A few excerpts:

Open carry of firearms

In Michigan, it is legal for a person to carry a
firearm in public as long as the person is
carrying the 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.

MCL 750.234d provides that it is a 90 day
misdemeanor to possess a firearm on the
premises of any of the following:

• A depository financial 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

The above section does not apply to any of the
following:

• The owner or a person hired as security (if the firearm is possessed for the purpose of providing security)
• A peace officer
• A person with a valid concealed pistol license (CPL) issued by any state
• A person who possesses on one of the above listed premises with the permission of the owner or owner’s agent

Officers must be aware of the above exemption
for valid CPL holders as many of the citizens
who openly carry firearms possess valid CPLs.
An individual with a valid CPL may carry a non-
concealed firearm in the above listed premises.

Also, if you are stopped by or interact with a Law Enforcement Officer (LEO), you are required by law to disclose if you are carrying. You are not, last I checked, required to disclose if you are not carrying, but I do so anyway as LEOs may not know that. Besides, they typically already know you have a CPL when they stop you and run your plates.